


Dreams of the Morrow: The Proud and the Broken

by Kashoku



Series: Dreams of the Morrow [2]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Gore, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Gen, Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, POV Original Character, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:48:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 90,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25699099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kashoku/pseuds/Kashoku
Summary: With Kashoku's Ancient abilities fully restored, she spends time with Aerith trying to understand her full potential. Meanwhile, Kage desperately tries to understand the visions of wings and feathers her friend has had in time to save Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis from whatever doomed fate awaits them.
Relationships: Angeal Hewley/Original Character(s), Genesis Rhapsodos/Original Character(s), Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough
Series: Dreams of the Morrow [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1846939
Comments: 9
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

**October 1998, Midgar**

Kage flipped open and closed her switchblade over and over again absently as she read through the most recent case files for an upcoming mission. Or rather, she stared at the screen blankly. She hadn’t gotten much further than the picture before her mind wandered. A lot had been on her mind since the church. It had been several weeks now since then and while the world seemed to go on like nothing had changed, everything had. Kashoku kept oddly quiet about it all. Kashoku seemed oddly quiet about everything of late which was concerning in its own right. A quiet Kashoku was either sick, dying, or up to no good. Maybe a combo of all three. 

Kashoku had claimed to be fine, but Kage knew that wasn’t true. Maybe she was physically fine, sure, but mentally was a whole different story. Kage had tried to press, but Kashoku had only hardened her walls. It wasn’t like her friend at all. She knew Kashoku was worried about the boys, but there was something else going on. Kage wasn’t a Turk for nothing. Question was; Was it related to being an Ancient or something entirely different?

Even Kashoku’s birthday seemed like a tame affair. True, it was just the two of them and Genesis. It had been so much more...cordial...than usual. They still bickered, but it felt half-hearted at best. Something was up. Or maybe it was nothing at all.

  
_Fuck, Kage, you’ve been a Turk for way too long. You’re reading way too into this._

Of course Kashoku was acting flighty. She’d had her entire world turned upside down and weird visions of something happening to their best friends. It was probably nothing more than that. While Kashoku had a big mouth, she also didn’t like to put burdens on other people which is likely why she was staying so quiet around Kage. She was being dumb.

Groaning, Kage clicked out of the reports. She wasn’t going to get shit done with this today. Kicking her feet up on the long conference table, earning her a tsk from Rude whose papers she disturbed, she pulled up her favorite pastime: the boys’ fanclubs. Maybe technically some would consider it a breach of boundaries as friends, but Kage just considered it doing her due diligence. And, well, her job. The yearly fees were totally worth it. Some of the girls had Turk level investigative skills. It was impressive. 

She started with Angeal’s club. There were photos of him leaving the plant shop with two new plants in hand. There was a page long article about what they were and how members could find them as well as ‘how to care for’ articles. Boring. She switched to Sephiroth’s. He’d been sighted buying a different type of shampoo and - oh! Planet stop everything - he’d learned how to braid his hair. Ground breaking. Surely The Red Leather would have something that was interesting. She scrolled through the threads on the message board until she noticed a newly pinned thread all in bold:

**GENESIS AND KASHOKU TUESTI SIGHTINGS**

Kage’s eyes went wide. Well. Is that fucking so? She clicked on the thread. She scrolled through until she found very stalkerish photos of Genesis and Kashoku in various locations. Kage chuckled slowly to herself. Well, this explained so much. “Disappointed, but not surprised.”

“What?” Rude asked.

“Kashoku and Genesis are fucking again,” Kage answered with a sigh. “You know, I’m not cleaning up their sex tape next time.”

“You shouldn’t announce lies so boldly,” Rude told her, sitting back and folding his hands in his lap.

Kage snorted. Ok, so yeah, she would still cover up their messes, but she’d fucking make that bitch sweat it out first. Planet, what the hell was it about Genesis? Did he have a massive cock? Nah, Kashoku was tiny. Monster cocks would literally break her. Maybe he just actually knew how to use what he had? Fuck, did he actually now how to make a girl cum? That could be one for the record books if he did. 

“Bets on when she ends up pregnant?” Gun offered up. Several others started shouting out dates including Rude. 

Kage kicked him under the table for participating. “Unlike you whores I made sure to teach Kashoku what a condom is. I’m sure that’s a new vocabulary word for most of you.”

“Oh, we know what a condom is, we just think they suck,” Ruluf winked at her. 

“Are you going to say anything to her?” Rude asked.

Kage continued scrolling through the photos. Seriously, did these people have no fucking life? Kage made note to start hacking IP addresses on posters who were taking the photos. Some of the comments were not so nice towards Kashoku and she’d need to know who to kill. “No. I’ve said what I had to say and if they want to make a mess of things they can make a mess of things. Sometimes digging our own grave is the only way we learn.”

“You know, Commander Rhapsodos is the most eligible bachelor in all of Midgar next to the President’s son,” Cissnei started. “It doesn’t strike you at all odd that he keeps going back to the same hookup when he has the entire city at his feet?”

“Meaning?” Kage asked, continuing to scroll the comments. Some of these bitches had some nerve. 

“Meaning at some point it’s no longer a hookup,” Rude finished for Cissnei. 

“Or it’s just a lot easier to keep fucking the same person than having to go hunting,” Katana suggested cooly. “Familiarity has its appeal.”

Kage slammed the laptop shut. “Alright, no more talking bout my best friends’ sex lives, this convo is over.” She regretted even seeing any of this because she’d have to keep it quiet. Kage kind of wanted to see the train wreck happen and that meant lips sealed. Kage liked train wrecks. She liked when things went boom. It was a fucked up thing to say, especially in regards to her friends, but truth was truth. She’d given them both plenty of warning to prevent it.

Honestly, though, could she blame them? Not really. The calm and logical part of their friend group was gone at war and Kage had been busier than normal. That left Kashoku and Genesis. Alone. Together. What else did one do but fuck?

“I’d sit back down and open that laptop back up if I were you,” Rude said calmly. “We leave in three hours.”

Fuckkkk. Kage opened it back up.

/*/

Kage kept so busy that December came before she could even blink and so did the train carrying both Sephiroth and Angeal home. While she hadn’t been able to greet them personally, she’d sent texts as soon as she could welcoming them home and demanding a hang out as soon as possible. Solstice time kept Turks busy. It was when all the suits made their moves to try and gain power and the President’s favor. Thankfully, she could count on Kashoku to coordinate plans. She got the when and where and made it happen.

Kashoku had managed reservations at one of the most exclusive pubs in all of Midgar. It was invite only and she and Kage could have never made it there on their own, but three Firsts were more than welcome. It didn’t offer fancy cuisine or a drink menu, but it promised privacy. That was all any of them really cared about.

She and Kashoku met up beforehand and pulled out their good dresses for it. Afterall, it was a special occasion, wasn’t it? The boys all back in Midgar from war. Things quickly got out of hand in a way not even Kage could have predicted. It was probably because the bar offered the only drink in all of Midgar that could actually affect a SOLDIER. A new alcohol on the market. All three SOLDIERs had accepted it all too eagerly and conversation had gotten personal quickly.

“Ooh, I’ve got it!” Kashoku’s eyes went wide in delight. “Best kiss.”

“ _Worst_ kiss,” Genesis countered, shaking his head at Kashoku with a slight pointed widening of his eyes that he probably thought was subtle. “Best kiss is too tame.”

“Maybe yours,” Kashoku said, saccharine sweet as she smiled behind the rim of her Bahamut Blaster. She acted as if she didn’t notice the message Genesis was trying to send. Across from her, the red haired SOLDIER’s jaw dropped in indignation. Man, and they thought they were subtle. Fat chance.

With a laugh, Kage held her glass out for Kashoku to tap hers against. The motion wasn’t gentle, both women several drinks past tipsy, but there wasn’t enough alcohol left in either glass to spill over. They’d been drinking since dinner, wanting to properly celebrate having all three of the SOLDIERs back in Midgar again.

“Sharing our worst kisses seems a little unfair to the other party,” Angeal protested lightly, interrupting whatever was about to come out of Genesis’s mouth.

“Oh please,” Kashoku pouted. “They’re not _here_. And it’s not like it’ll be used against them.”

“Yeah, I’m making no promises,” Kage smirked into her glass. She couldn’t help but notice Genesis’ small breath of relief at her friend’s statement. Aw, had he been worried he’d make the list? 

For a moment, her friends all stared at her, as if they had somehow forgotten that her entire job was to gather and use exactly that sort of information as a weapon. But alcohol was a strong lubricant, more than enough to coax secrets out of even the staunchest Turk opposition, and these were her friends. She could practically see them shrugging off their paranoia as they decided to trust her. Cute

Genesis broke the silence first, loudly setting down his own, nearly empty, Collins glass with a bright flush to his cheeks. “If we’re going to play,” he said, “let’s get serious about it. Kisses are too juvenile. Let’s talk _sex_.”

Kage bit back a laugh. Drunk Genesis was almost as much of a puppy as Zack Fair, eager and quick to jump from topic to topic, though more prone to fits of sullenness. He was also horny as _fuck_ going by this recent conversation topic. Were he and Kashoku not doing it enough? The threads on The Red Leather said otherwise. 

All three of the boys were drinking SOLDIER Downs, a new mix that had quickly become a favorite among Shinra’s elite for its ability to affect even those with mako enhancements. The Turks were monitoring its creation and distribution closely, so she knew that so far it was only available for purchase at three approved bars within the Topside and cost a small fortune to boot. This was the first night the bar they were at had the authority to sell it and she didn’t think any of the boys had even heard of SOLDIER Down back in Wutai, so bringing them here had been something of a welcome back surprise from her. Watching the boys get drunk for the first time was worth every gil she’d shelled out on the first few rounds, even if it meant she had to take her drinks a little slower than usual to make sure she never got too drunk to look out for them.

“Well?” She glanced at Kashoku, the usual counterer to Genesis’s suggestions, but for once the woman simply hummed and nodded.

“Sex it is. Worst one-night stand specifically,” Kashoku added cheekily. To Kage, she said, “You did tell me you’d share some of your own stories one day, when I’d gotten more experience. Now’s finally the time!”

Kage snorted good-naturedly. So she did. “I’m fine with it. Guys?” She swept her gaze across the table to Sephiroth, who shrugged noncommittally, and Angeal, who looked less than thrilled.

Out of all of them, he was probably the most sober right now, having slowed down his pace the moment he realized SOLDIER Down genuinely did what it claimed to. Buzzed? Yes. Drunk enough to find sharing bedroom stories appealing? Nope. Kage could hear the protests before he even opened his mouth.

Fortunately for Kashoku and Genesis’s weird verbal foreplay, being the most sober was not the same as actually being sober, especially when this was his first time drinking something that the mako in his system couldn’t rapidly process. Like most men, he could be distracted. She and Kashoku had both dressed up for tonight, baring what she knew was a distracting amount of leg despite the cold weather outside. On top of that, her dress scooped low, giving a generous view of cleavage whenever she leaned forward as she did now. Angeal didn’t look long - he rarely did - but it was enough for Genesis to start talking before anyone else could and that’s all she wanted. He flicked his eyes back up and gave her an exasperated look as she winked and sat up.

Genesis’s worst one night stand was apparently with a member of his fanclub which Kage couldn’t say surprised her even if the story was brand new. It was exactly as batshit insane and dramatic as she’d come to expect of the man.

When Genesis reached the point of the story where he began his escape from the room where his fan had left him bound, Kashoku and Kage both laughed so hard they had to lean on one another to keep from unbalancing on their stools.

“Bullshit!” Kage called at the same time as Kashoku begged, “Stop! Stop! Time out!” though the sparkle in her eyes spoke clearly that she wanted Genesis to do no such thing. Kashoku continued, “I’m sorry, but did you say you summoned _Ifrit_ to escape? I thought summons only came when they wanted?”

“I did. And clearly he thought the situation as desperate as I!”

“Why?!”

“You’re _so_ fucking dramatic, Genesis,” Kage laughed.

“Hardly! I told you-”

“No, no, I know, but isn’t Ifrit a dick?” she interrupted. “I mean, I’ve definitely heard that’s not an easily handled Summon.” Beside her, Kashoku nodded fervently, having heard similar - mostly from Genesis himself. “Weren’t you worried he’d, I don’t know, burn down the whole building with you in it? Butt ass naked?”

“Yes, Genesis,” Angeal said leadingly, resting his chin on his palm and giving his friend a smile. “Weren’t you worried?”

Genesis shot him a dirty look and pointed a warning finger at him. “You shut up, you traitor. I see you laughing. It was justified and you know it!”

“Laughing? I’ve done no such thing. Are you sure your eyes weren’t damaged in the fire?” he teased.

“Your stupid _face_ is laughing. I hope your eyebrows fall out.”

“Like yours?”

“Fuck you!”

“Genesis!” Kashoku gasped suddenly. “Did you _burn down the building_?”

“No way,” Kage dismissed immediately. But then, when all Genesis did was sip his drink casually, her jaw slowly dropped. “Angeal, no way, right?”

“I can confirm,” he said, looking like he was enjoying her surprise.

“You crazy shit!” she breathed to Genesis.

“You used a Summon you couldn’t control and _burned down a building?_ ” Kashoku demanded next to her. “I can’t believe they let you teach materia! You’re the one who needs materia safety classes!”

“What the fuck? How big are your balls?!”

Genesis was literally cackling as he took in their reactions and listened to them digging at him, but that got him to respond. “You,” he said smugly, with a lazy finger jab her way, “will never know. May the lack of knowledge torture you forever, you coeurl.”

Kage’s eyebrows went up. And then she turned to Kashoku. With only the slightest hesitation, the other girl caught her tongue between her teeth in a grin and gave an OK sign. “Nice,” Kage told Genesis with approval, even as the man threw a peanut at Kashoku in retribution.

“But seriously, what the hell? Who summons Ifrit over a little bad bondage?”

“If you’d heard what she was saying before she left, you would’ve done the same. I was tied up and left alone for _hours_ ,” Genesis defended himself. “The appeal wore off very quickly. I assure you, had there been other options, I would have used them. But Ifrit’s summons materia was the only one I could manage to toe out and so Ifrit it was.”

“But the building,” Kashoku protested. “Was anyone hurt?”

Genesis shrugged. “My pride? My original leather jacket? My hair? Otherwise, nothing worth mourning. Luckily, Red Leather regularly makes and sells replicas of my jacket to new members, so I got that replaced easily enough. The eyebrows grew back quickly too, thank Gaia. They itched like crazy coming in, but it barely took more than a day, thank you _very_ much, mako enhancements. And afterwards I spent a great deal of time working with that summons materia to make sure there’d be no such repeat the next time. The end, story complete!”

A weird silence sat over the table for several seconds before Kashoku braved to say, an amused twist to her lips, “Well I’m glad you were alright. I honestly can’t believe how lucky you were.”

“Yeah,” Kage drawled, brows furrowing as she thought about it further. “Me either.”

An entire building, conveniently empty so nobody was caught in Ifrit’s temper tantrum? Yeah. She doubted that. But then, Genesis hadn’t _said_ it was empty. Just that what got caught up in the fire wasn’t worth mourning. There was a lot of maneuverability in wording like that. Especially with the woman having been a Shinra employee. Genesis didn’t mention her department but… Hm, yeah, Kage could make an educated guess which department it was if she’d been saying things that had alarmed even Genesis. That still left one big question though.

“How have I never heard about this?” Genesis wasn’t subtle on a good day, Ifrit even _less_ so supposedly, and she knew first hand that Red Leather took their newsletters about Genesis very seriously. She should’ve known this story better than Genesis by now.

Fuck. Was she losing her touch?

“It was before you met him,” Angeal told her with a twitch of his lips, so at least some of what she was thinking must have shown on her face. “Before we met even, when Genesis and I were both still Seconds. The Director smoothed it over.”

“Director Veld?” Kashoku asked with a moue of distaste.

“Director Deusericus,” Sephiroth corrected, even as Angeal was shaking his head.

“...Lazard did?” Kashoku sounded skeptical, the expression on her face matching Kage’s own perfectly.

“Huh.” Kage tapped her nail on the table for a moment, kind of regretting that she’d be drinking so much now. This sounded like information she should be sharp for. “I didn’t know Deusericus was good for that sort of thing.”

She knew the guy was smart and that he had some major hate for President Shinra, but... Well, who didn’t? He’d always reminded her a little of Reeve, albeit a bit more awkward and uptight. Maybe she should have paid more attention to that similarity before, started laying some groundwork. Was it too late now? She was certain the guy was still into Kashoku, even if they had broken up and remained good friends. She could probably use her Wutai looks, play into those lingering emotions to create an avenue for herself. It wouldn’t even be difficult to hide from the present SOLDIERs or Kashoku, given how careful Lazard had been about their relationship. But, ugh, she really didn’t want to if she didn’t have to. She was over that entire bloodline after Solstice.

Veld had to have known about this already. There was just no way Veld didn’t know. The man knew everything. Lazard must have brokered a deal with Veld to hush it all up - or President Shinra had, not wanting the public to hear anything bad about his precious SOLDIERs with the war heating up - and didn’t want his SOLDIERs to know about it.

Probably.

But if he _had_ hushed it up without even Veld knowing, as impossible as that seemed…

She wanted to ask more, get a few more facts down before she asked Veld about it, just to be sure. But when she focused back on the group, Angeal was watching her with a slight frown, a touch of nerves around the corners of his eyes as the conversation moved on around them. He liked Lazard, she remembered suddenly, meeting his eyes. He’d told her so once before, when she’d been concerned about the director’s interest in Kashoku and had approached him not as a Turk but as a friend. According to Angeal, Lazard was an odd man, but a good one, and a good director of SOLDIER at that. And Kage, trusting in that opinion, had stopped looking so suspiciously at Lazard Deusericus back then. Did she dare do so again?

Damn, what to do…

Kage didn’t like a lot of people herself, but she tried to do her best by the ones she did, and Planet knew she liked Angeal a lot more than most. She’d only done this once or twice before in her entire career, always for Kashoku until now, but…

Kage sighed and let her curiosity about Lazard go. This better not bite her in the ass later.

Angeal’s eyes widened at actually getting a white flag from her, and then his face softened with a kind of affection and gratitude she wasn’t willing to deal with just then. She shoved away from the table with a muttered comment about going to get them all more drinks. By the time she returned, she felt more in control, setting the alcohol down with a clatter and interrupting the current conversation. Which was apparently about Summons materia. Ugh, spare her. She still couldn’t use materia for shit and not even Kashoku’s natural Ancient-given talent for it made that avenue of conversation appeal. Time to get them back to the good shit, and she knew just how to do it - by throwing a little proverbial oil on the fire.

“To be honest, Genesis, as entertaining as it was to hear that you can’t handle a little bondage, I was _certain_ you were going to tell us about the first time you and Kashoku woke up drunk in bed together. You can’t tell me _that_ wasn’t terrible. Unlike now, what with all that practice you’ve had.”

Kashoku froze next to her and Genesis flushed as red as his hair. He didn’t seem to know which point to argue against first - or if she was commenting on the well-known sex they’d had in the past or their current supposedly secret arrangement. “Can’t handle-?! Wait, uh-?!”

“She is a Turk,” Sephiroth said smoothly from his spot in the corner, his bright feline eyes full of amusement as he nursed his own SOLDIER Down. Kage skipped him when she bought their next round because she’d assumed - correctly - that she wouldn’t have to buy him shit. The great general hadn’t ordered a single drink all night, and yet he was on his, what, seventh? No, eighth, she decided, eyeing the drink’s level. Another one must have been delivered while she was gone. The initial jealousy of watching him receive free drink after free drink all night had segued into a horrible curiosity for their group, and low-key they were all waiting to see at what point he would begin to look affected. He was still as immovable as granite, if acting a bit more playful than usual.

She shot him a wink, tapping the side of her nose. “Exactly. We always know.” 

Especially when one half of the not-couple had a fanclub that reported every overheard conversation and any woman who so much as came out of Genesis’s building. Red Leather was absolutely worth its membership fees, even if she did have to scroll through a wall of _Loveless_ quotes all the time. The short variant of his red leather jacket wasn’t bad either, though she’d die before she ever let Genesis know she had one.

“Not to mention that neither of you were discreet with your reactions that day.” There was a pause, just enough time for Kashoku and Genesis to both unclench and relax, assuming that everyone was referring to their previous tumbles into bed. And then Sephiroth added, a wicked glint in his eyes, “You have grown marginally better at discretion.”

The heavy sigh Angeal let out was particularly loud. “Can we not? Please?”

“It’s not as if we sleep together very often!” Kashoku insisted hotly. “We don’t! Hardly at all! Not in months!”

“Oh, sure,” Kage agreed breezily. “Of course not.”

Kashoku frowned at her, then Sephiroth when he snorted, and then Angeal for good measure, because he had groaned and begun smacking his forehead into the rim of his glass when his protests were ignored. “I’ll have you know,” she said, a minor thread of panic lacing her voice, “that Genesis and I haven’t had sex in …”

“Yes?” Kage asked a little meanly, waiting to hear what lie she tried to go with. She knew damn well those two idiots had ignored her and Angeal’s advice and had started hooking up again.

“...In… In… Okay, so I don’t remember when the last time we had sex was. Which,” she rallied, “just proves my point!”

Genesis looked incredibly offended, but bit his tongue. Sephiroth was not so generous. “It was two nights ago.”

Angeal choked and whipped his head around to stare daggers at Genesis. “Excuse me?”

“No, it wasn’t,” Kashoku disagreed immediately, widening her eyes pointedly. It was so cute how she tried.

“It was,” Sephiroth said.

“Wha- Why do you know that? Why does he know that? Did you _tell_ him?” Kashoku demanded of Genesis, now looking quite offended herself.

“Of course not!”  
  
“Then why does he know?!”

“As I said before,” Sephiroth cut in, “you are only _marginally_ better at your discretion.”

“Why are you just _telling_ people that?” Genesis hissed.

“I’m not telling people - I’m telling our friends. And they already knew you were sleeping together again.”

“I didn’t,” Angeal snapped, “and I didn’t want to. Thank you for that.”

“Well, it was only a matter of time,” Sephiroth dismissed. “You’re welcome.”

“You’re really sleeping together again?” Angeal demanded. “When did this happen? Do neither of you remember how terrible that went last time?”

“Mind your own business,” Genesis bristled, looking very much like a cat whose fur had been rubbed the wrong direction. “Don’t be such a mother hen. And you should mind your own business about it too, Sephiroth.”

“I shall endeavor to do so, but we do share a wall, Genesis,” he drawled, “placing the onus of discretion firmly on _you._ ”

“So you _heard us_?” Kashoku asked over Genesis’s budding tirade, her eyes wide and embarrassed. “That’s how you knew?”

Sephiroth glanced at her and nodded. “I’d just returned from Wutai and it was very late. You kept me awake.” Even for Sephiroth, he sounded a little sour about that.

“Oh, Planet,” she whimpered, hiding her face in her hands.

“It’s fine,” Genesis said, slipping off his stool to lean in and pat her back gently, whispering something into her ear that Kage couldn’t catch but that seemed to loosen a little of the tension in Kashoku’s shoulders. “Being heard through the walls is a good thing, right? It just means the sex is good!”

Kashoku let out a strangled scream, sounding not at all comforted… but there was definitely something less panicked about her as she nodded her head and looked back up.

Kage narrowed her eyes curiously.

“Isn’t it usually the opposite?” she wondered out loud, unable to resist stirring the pot further to see if she could figure it out. Sephiroth shot her a thoughtful look; Genesis’s was a lot more poisonous. She grinned unrepentantly at him. “Maybe we should hear about Kashy’s worst one night stands now.”

“Are you insinuating her stories will be about me?” Genesis asked sharply.

Kage raised an eyebrow and resettled on her stool. “Are you worried they are?”

“No!”

Kage snorted. “Well maybe you should be. Kashy’s been staring at you since I said her name. She might just be trying to think of something that _isn’t_ about you right now.”

Kashoku flushed bright red at the sudden attention. “No I’m not!”

“Yes you are,” Kage teased.

“...Only because I’ve been drinking and Genesis is the most recent partner I’ve had,” she said, wilting a little.

“You tried, babe.” Kage bumped her shoulder affectionately. “Anyway, it’s fine. Someone else can go while you think.”

“No,” Genesis interrupted, his jaw clenched as he stared daggers at Kage. He tried to regain his composure, but it was apparent to everyone that he was genuinely bothered by the suggestion that he might actually be the source for any of Kashoku’s worst one-night stand stories. “I want to hear this. Exactly what am I doing that I should be improving upon?”

Whatever hesitation Kashoku had been feeling clearly went up in smoke at Genesis’s words, or maybe it was his tone. She pursed her lips with irritation, rolling her shoulders back as she met the challenging stare head on. “I wasn’t _going_ to talk about you,” she said hotly, her cheeks bright red.

“But there is something?” he pushed.

“I believe there will be _several_ things if you continue, Genesis,” Sephiroth laughed lowly.

“Sephiroth, please be quiet.” Kashoku frowned. “If you must know, I was debating if it would be appropriate to say anything about _Lazard_ , considering you all work under him! And then I was thinking about Alban and wondering if I should share that. It just took me a minute to decide! It’s really embarrassing, you know!” she said.

Kage’s eyebrows flew up. Alban? Really? True, he wasn’t here to get upset by it and it _was_ a funny story, but Kashy must have actually been trying not to pick a Genesis story if she went all the way back to the beginning. Kage could think of several incidents the other woman could’ve used just off the top of her head, even if she was trying to avoid mentioning anyone the SOLDIERs might have met, but nope. She was going with Alban.

Planet, the woman was so hopeless. Not that Genesis was _any_ better, she thought with a snort, watching his face twist with confusion and faint jealousy.

“Who the hell is Alban?” he asked.

“My first boyfriend.”

“Oh.” He settled down comically fast. “Well, fine, tell that one. Wait, why was it embarrassing?”

Kashoku narrowed her eyes. She was, Kage thought, very clearly rethinking her decision not to talk bad of Genesis right in front of him. Angeal must have sensed the same thing, because he raised his head from his hands and cut in loudly.

“Vetoed!”

“..What?”

He cleared his throat. “Vetoed. I’m vetoing Kashoku’s stories. She’s like a little sister. I don’t want to hear this.”

Sephiroth’s lips twitched. “Overruled.”

“Sephiroth-!”

“You and Genesis have before proclaimed to be like brothers,” the general said smoothly, “and yet you didn’t interfere with _his_ story. You cannot deny one but not the other.”

Angeal’s eyes narrowed, but Sephiroth was unmoved. “I _did_ protest,” he scowled. “The moment the conversation shifted to him and Kashoku! Isn’t it bad enough it apparently still happens occasionally? Why do I have to hear about it too?” he grumbled.

Kage rolled her eyes, but took pity on the man. “Fine, veto accepted for anything to do with Genesis’s dick.”

“Thank you.”

“That is oppression,” Genesis sniffed haughtily.

“You should be grateful,” Kashoku shot back.

“Kashoku, please,” Angeal sighed.

“I’m just saying, Genesis should know how lucky he is to have you, Angeal.”

“Why? You weren’t _really_ going to talk about me,” Genesis said confidently.

“Don’t be so cocky!”

“Kashy, _please_ ,” Angeal said again.

“Fine.”

“Fine!” Genesis huffed.

“Fine!”

“Just get on with it!”

“I am, so shut up!”

“I regret knowing _all_ of you,” Angeal muttered darkly, having apparently hit his limit. He threw back his liquor and set the glass down roughly. “We are changing the subject. Now.”

They did _not_ change the subject, but in deference to Angeal’s honest threat to leave and go home, Kashoku did quickly launch into a retelling of her first time, how _awful_ it had been - which was actually pretty funny to her now - and how her father via Cait Sith had walked in on them afterwards, which she still did _not_ find funny. Having all met Reeve Tuesti by now and knowing how protective he was of his daughter, Kashoku was met with the sympathetic if amused looks from two SOLDIERs, while Genesis looked like he was stuck imagining himself in Alban’s place and really wished not to be.

“I couldn’t look at my father for _days_ ,” she sighed. “Worse, he couldn’t look at _me._ ”

“What happened to the boy?” Sephiroth asked.

“Gone,” she said. “The moment Cait opened his mouth and my dad’s voice came out, it was over. He may have, ah, also been a UD intern, so it didn’t exactly take long for him to figure out what was happening.”

“And he was never seen again,” Angeal predicted.

It was probably half-intended to be a joke, but he wasn’t wrong. “He put in for a transfer the next day. Afterwards, Dad forbade me from dating any more of his employees.”

The three men laughed at her embarrassment good naturedly. 

“Kage is next,” Genesis decided with narrowed eyes. “But you owe us something truly terrible, for all the trouble you stirred up a bit ago.”

“I don’t owe you shit,” she snorted.

“No, no,” Kashoku said, actually looking just as miffed as her fuck-buddy. “Genesis is right. You were causing trouble and you know it. Give us a good story as penance.”

“Can’t I just buy you cheese fries and call it even?” Kage asked, her smile widening when Kashoku had to think about that.

“No,” she decided. “I want to laugh at your bad sex.”

“Thanks,” Kage said dryly.

“You deserve it!”

“Yeah, alright, whatever.” She didn’t owe Genesis shit, but she’d make some allowances for Kashoku, since she did genuinely seem distressed about having her secret friends-with-benefits situation with Genesis brought up so publically. “I’m going to buy you some food anyway though, so hang on a few minutes. I don’t want you puking on the train home.”

“Don’t. I already ate.”

“Yeah, like two shots and five drinks ago.”

“It’s so many calories though,” Kashoku complained.

“So eat a salad tomorrow and call it even.”

Kashoku frowned, but Kage knew she’d change her mind the second the fries were in front of her. Especially if they were Kage’s. “Oh, hey, wings?”

“Cheese fries are too many calories, but wings are fine?”

“Obviously! But no, not for me! For the guys.”

There was a special sort of discomfort that arose from having SOLDIERs look at you like that, Kage decided, as all three of the men perked up and fixed intent mako-bright stares on her. Apparently wings were a yes. Fucking SOLDIER constitution, she thought with amusement. She was going to have to order like five baskets just for them. Thank fuck Turks were paid out the ass for the bullshit they handled. “Okay, fine, I’ll be right back. Drink some water while I’m gone.”

“Oh, hey!” Kashoku caught her hand before she got far.

“What?”

“Your sex story. I want a new one.”

“Don’t you already know all of them?” Kage asked casually.

Kashoku hummed, then shook her head. “No, I’m pretty sure you’ve been sneaky about it and haven’t told me even half the good stories. Like, I didn’t even know about that girl until I saw her leaving, or anything you mentioned when we-”

Kage covered her mouth with a hand. “Not their business,” she said, with a flick of her eyes at the others.

“Oh,” Kashoku said. “Well it still stands. I want to hear about something new.”

“Hm,” Kage said. She didn’t want to tell Kashoku - or any of their friends really - about her honeypot missions, but there were some options she could pick through. She’d had a lot of good sex, sure, but she’d had… a _lot_ of bad sex throughout her life too. There seemed to be no shortage of assholes in the world. “Fine,” she decided. “I’ll tell you guys one you haven’t heard before.”

“One I haven’t heard before that’s really terrible. As an apology for being an asshole,” Kashoku said pointedly.

“Yeah, that.” Kage rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hide her smile as she strode off to flag down a server to place their order. “Be right back.”

Kage didn’t entirely keep her word by telling Kashoku a story she didn’t already know. Kashoku did know it, but Kage might have told it a bit differently. As she told the story, Kashoku looked at her skeptically, but she played along just fine if she thought it to be the same one she’d given before. 

After Kage finished it was Angeal’s turn, but the SOLDIER went a little pink as he admitted that he really hadn’t _had_ any terrible experiences in the bedroom like they were sharing, an admission that led to a few speculative looks, and everyone turning to Genesis for confirmation.

“He’s too nice,” Genesis sighed, throwing his best friend a disappointed look. “He wouldn’t speak ill of anybody if the sex _was_ bad and somehow all of _his_ fans are sane and polite. It’s not fair.”

Angeal simply shrugged and smiled, only a little self-conscious as Kashoku loudly praised his morals.

“I still can’t believe you’ve _never_ had terrible sex,” Kage said, studying Angeal. “Isn’t horrible first time sex a rite of passage or something? My first time, the guy was _old_ and he cried the whole time about my age. Not that it stopped him from getting off in any way.”

Angeal and Genesis both frowned at that. “How old-?”

“Old enough to need to eat,” she said mildly, flicking her fingers to dismiss the question. “But that’s not the point. How does someone _never_ have bad sex? Are you that good or is it you don’t realize it’s bad?”

“I think I would know if it was bad,” Angeal said dryly, meeting her gaze and holding it. The alcohol helped loosen his tongue, and in a spark of daring that would’ve done his protégé proud, he added, “But by all means, educate me in how I might unknowingly be doing it wrong. I don’t want to disappoint any future partners.” It would’ve been better if his face didn’t flame up right afterwards, but alcohol could only do so much.

Next to him, Genesis choked on his spit in surprise, eyes flying to his childhood friend and the Turk he was usually too shy to be so bold with. Kashoku was biting her lip around a broad grin, and even Sephiroth had raised his eyebrows in surprised amusement. He saw all this from the corner of his eyes, not daring to look away from Kage yet, holding his breath as he awaited her reaction.

Surprised delight played across her face before melting into a slow smirk as she opened her mouth to respond, looking ready to give back as good as she got, and anticipation pooled in Angeal’s stomach. But then a glass hit the ground and shattered a few tables over, and Kage hesitated. The moment was gone. Angeal felt a stab of disappointment as he watched her reign herself in, just a little more Turk, a little less interested.

“Well if you have to ask…” she said mildly. “Crying is definitely a no go. Love confessions – also not great.”

Angeal tried not to wince. Kage did, looking regretful even _before_ the table shook when someone caught it while kicking her under the table. He didn’t check who, too busy watching her stare down into her drink with a frown.

“Awkward fumbling,” Kashoku said brightly, grabbing onto the topic like a lifeline as she dragged her gaze away from her suddenly quiet friend, “or someone walking in on you. Or both. Oh! Or finishing really quickly and then falling asleep.”

“Falling off the bed,” Genesis added after a moment, and Kashoku flushed tellingly. There was another shake of the table, but Genesis seemed unbothered by the kick. “Or maybe using the wrong name.”

“Or taking _ages_ to come when getting a hand job and not being at all considerate of the cramp that can develop from that.”

Angeal leaned back, looking like he _strongly_ regretted asking as Kashoku and Genesis began to volley back and forth more aggressively.

“Breaking the bed,” Kage interrupted them, putting a stop to the bickering before it could devolve into something that would get them kicked out. “It sounds all well and good until you’ve got splinters in your ass. Also, you two have fucked how many times now? Why do you have so many examples? If it’s that bad, for fuck’s sake, just _stop_ .” She frowned at them both. “I thought you were torturing us with your dramatic will-they-won’t-they affair for _good_ sex.”

“It _is_ good,” Genesis muttered at the same time as Kashoku weakly protested, “I wasn’t talking about _him_.”

“I would like this topic to die forever,” Angeal said pleasantly. “But assuming you _weren’t_ talking about one another, that begs the question of who you _have_ been sleeping with that you all have so many bad examples.” Honestly, after listening to them, he was torn between horror and awe.

“Well, I mean, Turk,” Kage said, pointing to herself. “I feel like that explains most of mine. Genesis and Kashy just have horrible fucking taste.”

Kashoku stuck her tongue out. “You’re not any better! But really, it’s not like those examples are all that bad. They’re more funny and memorable than anything. Bad is like...” She thought for a moment. “...being less experienced, but ignoring all of your partner’s suggestions or requests to make it better.”

“Or insulting your sex partner beyond what might be passable as kink,” Kage said shortly. “Pro-tip, you can get away with insisting on mouthwash after oral, but pour mouthwash on your dick because the condom slipped off and we’re done.”

Kashoku’s laughter bubbled up, loud and delighted. “I remember that! You were so angry!”

“I don’t have any fucking diseases!” Kage snapped, still irritated by the memory. “I get tested more often than the whores in Undercity. And I was _frustrated,_ because he couldn’t get me off either. It was the worst, and I regret trying to hold out until then just because he was so hot. False advertisement.”

“I _told_ you that you should’ve done your research first. What kind of Turk are you?”

“People who are that hot should get enough pussy that they’re experts,” Kage huffed. “I didn’t realize he took it as an excuse to be a lazy fuck. And I don’t want to hear that from you. You know exactly what you did.”

“ _Ladies_ ,” Genesis interrupted. “I for one am shocked at _both_ of your bad taste. For shame!”

“We don’t want to hear that from you either!” Kashoku said, sticking her tongue out. Kage flicked a bar peanut at him that hit Genesis square on the nose and flipped him off.

Angeal shook his head good naturedly as his friend squawked and shifted the conversation back to its original track. “In fairness, it’s been a while for me,” he admitted. “Between the war, missions, the new recruits - Zack especially - and keeping all of you out of trouble, I suppose I haven’t had time for any memorable experiences lately.” Also there was the fact that his almost three year long crush on Kage kept him from accepting many of the offers that _did_ come his way but they weren’t going to talk about that, were they?

“Excuses, excuses,” Genesis scoffed.

“Enough picking on Angeal,” Kashoku said. She was all smiles again now that the tension from before had run out. “Sephiroth, it’s your turn. Worst sex ever.”

Sephiroth raised a thin brow and surveyed them for a moment. Then, like a card shark sweeping the entire table, he drawled, “Unfortunately, I must admit that I have nothing to offer in this instance.”

Genesis’s face darkened with a flash of anger, but it was smoothed away before Angeal was entirely certain he’d see correctly. “Not you too,” his friend complained. He buried his fingers in his hair and groaned loudly. “Fine, just tell us about your first time. Surely even _you_ didn’t perform perfectly the first time.”

Sephiroth shrugged. “As I said, I have nothing to contribute to this conversation. I didn’t wish to ruin the fun earlier by mentioning it.” The mischievous light in his eyes suggested it was more likely he wanted to enjoy their disappointment at the end than that he really wanted to spare them any in the beginning. But nobody called him on that as the meaning behind his words slowly sank in.

“Wait, what?”

“ _Never_?” Kashoku’s jaw dropped.

“Truly?” Angeal asked, surprised. “You’ve never-?”

“I knew it,” Kage snorted, the only one who didn’t seem flabbergasted. The rest of the group simply stared at the general, trying to comprehend this strange new reality where the beautiful man had never once in his life gotten laid. Sure he was quiet, socially awkward, and kept to himself, but they’d all assumed it had happened at _some_ point.

Genesis rounded on Kage. “How did _you_ know?”

“It’s Sephiroth,” she said with a broad lazy gesture at the general. “The man has a seven foot long sword for crying out loud. Do you really think he’s the type to let someone get up close and personal with him - vulnerable even - if he doesn’t trust them? We’re his only friends, so if he hasn’t fucked one of you guys, Kashy, or me, he hasn’t fucked anybody.”

Sephiroth inclined his head when everyone turned to stare at him again. “Crude, but not inaccurate,” he agreed.

“What _I_ wanna know,” Kage drawled, giving Sephiroth a heavily lidded stare as she swirled ice in her glass idly, “is if trust issues are all it is or if you’re just not interested. We can consider that to be your contribution to the game.”

“I have wondered,” Kashoku agreed. “You never _do_ seem interested when anyone approaches you. I just thought they weren’t your type or you didn’t like being approached while you were busy.”

“Sephiroth is always busy,” Genesis huffed.

The man in question tilted his head as he thought. “It is not… complete disinterest. It just never seems worthwhile.”

“You’ve never liked anyone enough?” Angeal hazarded.

“None of them were worth my time.”

“ _We’re_ worth your time,” Genesis said with a defensive scowl.

A small smile quirked the edge of his lips, the only emotion readily available on his face as he looked at his hot-headed friend. “Why, Genesis,” he purred, “are you volunteering?” 

Genesis faltered. The smile, however, he just couldn’t ignore, and so even as he wanted to back down and say that wasn’t what he’d meant, he pushed to his feet and leaned into Sephiroth’s space. “You think I can’t do it? Because I can! In this, Sephiroth, you can’t hope to win!”

Angeal grabbed a fistful of his friend’s jacket and pulled him back down onto his stool. “Genesis,” he warned exasperatedly, “don’t.” 

“Why not? Sephiroth needs some experience, and as his _friends_ ,” the man’s tone took on a bit of a mocking tone, “we’re the only ones he can trust to get him there.”

“As his friends, we should definitely _not_ be the ones doing that,” Angeal said. “Also, you’re officially cut off. You’re clearly drunk.”

Kashoku’s voice broke through their stare off. “Would you even be willing to sleep with either of them?” she asked Sephiroth curiously, ignoring Angeal’s protest at being included. “Wouldn’t you prefer a woman?”

The silver haired man shrugged. “It makes no difference.”

Kage laughed. “Oh, it makes a difference alright. But there’s an idea. Maybe one or more of us _should_ help introduce Sephiroth to the joys and horrors of sex. It’d be a shame to limit his sample size to just _Genesis_ , and he definitely needs to at least try it with a woman if he thinks it’ll all be the same.”

“Hmm,” Kashoku tilted her head as she stared speculatively as Sephiroth, who had not actually voiced any protests to Kage’s suggestion. “Is that something you’re interested in?” she asked him hesitantly.

“Are you actually considering this?” Genesis asked in a strangled voice, a flash of anger crossing his face.

Kashoku glanced back at him and winced. “Um... Well, what matters is, what do you think, Sephiroth? I suppose I’m fine with it, if it’s all of us, and if you _want_ to give it a shot but need it to be with someone you’re comfortable around. Or if you don’t want to try with all of us, I-” She visibly hesitated.

Kage spoke up then, casually adding, “Kashy and I could do it. We’ve discussed it before.”

Angeal coughed suddenly, while beside him Genesis narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean you’ve discussed it before?”

Kashoku hesitated with a lightning quick glance between him and Sephiroth, then lifted her chin. “Barely. Just once or twice. And it was months ago. But, well,” she said, “objectively, Sephiroth is very attractive. He’s smart, strong, and, um, has very nice hands.” She moved on quickly as Genesis’s expression darkened. “Anyway, everyone should have at least a _decent_ first time and I’m... willing to help if it’s something you’re honestly not comfortable with otherwise, Sephiroth. Just- As friends. And not one-on-one please.”

“Are you serious right now?!” Genesis demanded with actual anger in his voice.

“Yes,” Kashoku said quickly, “Planet knows Sephiroth doesn’t need his first time to be with just you, Genesis.”

The SOLDIER’s eyes narrowed and with clearly forced calm he retorted, “And what is wrong with having sex with me? I have never had complaints.”

“I complain about you all the time.”

“Yes, but that’s you,” the man said with an eye roll. “You complain about everything. I didn’t think you _meant_ any of it.”

Kashoku huffed and threw Sephiroth a pointed look. It looked incredibly theatrical to Kage, who’d been watching Kashoku and Genesis both closely. “See? If it’s not the sex, it’s dealing with him afterwards that’s awful.”

Sephiroth tapped a fingernail on the table as he thought, tuning the two out with practiced ease as he considered them one by one. “I would not be opposed,” he said finally.

“…To whom?” Angeal asked with clear hesitation, having been listening with a deep frown the entire time.

Sephiroth merely blinked at him, mako eyes bright with amusement. “To any of you. To all of you.”

It was clearly an unexpected response. For all the bravado they had of talking it up, none of them seemed prepared for him to actually agree to it. Kage couldn’t help but chuckle inside at it. “Well, then, it seems to me we have an orgy to plan.”

That caused several various dramatic reactions from spitting out drinks to choking on them.

“I am not sleeping with Sephiroth,” Angeal said definitively.

“I don’t do dudes,” Genesis added.

Kashoku practically gagged on her drink. “Just a second ago you were such a thespian touting a challenge!”

“You told me I couldn’t make anything a competition anymore!” Genesis argued.

Kashoku’s eyes blinked in confusion and then scowled at him. “Sleeping with Sephiroth is now a competition?!” 

O-k! Yeah, that was enough. She’d definitely stirred that pot a little too much. “Alright, boys and girls, we’ve all had enough. If anyone is sleeping with Sephiroth it’s me and only me. Sephiroth, we’ll talk out the deets later,” she winked at him, but had no intentions of anyone actually following through. Not that she wouldn’t. If Sephiroth asked, she’d be a friend. 

“I love all of you, but this was way more than I wanted to know about any of you,” Angeal agreed, putting down his drink and motioning for his tab. “I’m still angry at you, Sephiroth. I really didn’t want to know about Kashy and Genesis.”

Sephiroth shrugged unapologetically. “When it begins to affect my sleep, I feel the need to share my displeasure.”

“Fine, I’ll go over to her place tonight!” Genesis spat spitefully.

Kashoku gasped and held up her hands in an X motion. “No one is going to anyone’s place tonight!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, everyone knows you’re fucking who cares?” Kage pointed out with a sigh as she, too, signalled for her tab. “Though, how you could fuck with a whiskey dick is beyond me.”

“I do not get whiskey dick!” Genesis immediately fired back.

Kage looked to Kashoku who gave a small shrug. “Actually, it’s more like he gets it up too much. Did you know the refractory period of SOLDIERs is -,”

“I’m out!” Angeal interrupted loudly. 

Kage let out a loud laugh as she signed for her card. “Good to have you back, boys.”

They all paid for their tabs and started to slowly and carefully make their way to the train station. Kage noticed that Genesis’ arm twitched with wanting to drape itself around Kashoku, though he resisted. Genesis also got off the train with Kashoku at Sector 5 leaving Angeal and Sephiroth behind.

“Don’t forget to turn Cait Sith off this time, huh?” Kage teased her as they approached Kashoku’s apartment.

“Ha-ha, you’re fucking hilarious,” Kashoku stuck her tongue out seething. 

Kage was all smiles for two blocks until the high of the alcohol started to come down. She shoved a hand into the pocket of her dress and looked up at the sky. There wasn’t a cloud in sight. For some reason she expected to see a bird or a feather, but she saw nothing. She wasn’t an Ancient, afterall. It disappointed her. She didn’t want nights like this to end. What was it that was coming? The only answer she got was the buzzing of the mako lines above her. Sighing, she continued on.

All she could do was press forward.

  
(Chapter art by me!)


	2. Chapter 2

**February 1999, Midgar**

Kashoku was very much aware that she was asleep and that she was dreaming. Lucid dreams tended to find their way to her often and even more so with her connection restored. It wasn’t anything overly exciting, but she often dreamed of greener and cleaner lands than Midgar. So, she’s not shocked that she could feel the wind in her hair and smell the flowers around her in the bed where she currently sat. What did surprise her was the young teen sitting next to her.

“Finally! It worked!” Aerith exclaimed as she launched herself to her feet. “I’ve been trying to reach you for weeks!”

Kashoku blinked in realization. “It’s really you? Not some dream version?”

“It’s me!” Aerith smiled. “Though I guess I’m kind of a dream person, aren’t I? I am in your dream. It was really hard to find you. In a sea of so many emotions it’s not easy to single one out and you weren’t calling back to me.”

Humming, Kashoku nodded with sympathy. “There’s a lot of them, aren’t there?. How did you finally find me?”

“Well,” Aerith walked in a small circle before rejoining Kashoku on the ground. “You got really sad and it made it easier to find you. Why are you sad?”

Oh. Well, it was after Solstice which meant Genesis was gone again. The first month hadn't been too bad, but as the weeks dragged on she felt a heavier heart. “My boyfriend is a SOLDIER. He left out for Wutai again after the New Year.” She hadn’t had any more clues that could help tie all her visions together and things in Wutai were escalating as it was. It was an all around concerning situation.

“Oh, you must miss him a lot,” Aerith placed a hand on hers comfortingly. “He’s a SOLDIER, though. He’ll be ok.”

Yeah. That’s what she kept trying to tell herself, too, but it didn’t soothe her fears. “How did you realize you could do this? Have you done it before?”

“No,” Aerith shook her head, “but the Planet told me to reach out to you. Should be easier now that we’ve established a connection. I kept waiting for you to come back to the church, but you never did. Why?! We have so much to talk about!”

Kashoku sighed. “I wanted to. I really, really did, but I have to be careful. Shinra doesn’t know about me and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Really? But you were with a Turk,” she pointed out.

“That’s Kage. We’ve been best friends since I was little,” Kashoku explained. “She and my father are the only ones who know.”

Aerith perked up. “Your real father?”

“Ah, no,” Kashoku smiled sadly at her. 

Aerith’s shoulders dropped in disappointment. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” Kashoku echoed her sentiment. It was just them. As far as they knew, anyway. Maybe there was someone else out there? “I’ll try really hard to get Kage to bring me back to you soon, but for now it’ll just have to be like this.”

“Might be kind of hard if you’re trying to stay hidden. Cissnei has been coming around a lot lately,” Aerith groaned. 

“If it’s Cissnei, then yeah, I have to stay away. She knows me and would question what I’m doing down in the Undercity. I go down for work a lot, but never without an escort. It would look suspicious. Why has she been coming around more often?”

Aerith chuckled and pulled her knees into her chest. She was apparently very pleased with herself. “I’m not very good at following directions. He keeps telling me I need to either come with him back to Shinra or stay home. I don’t do either.”

“No way,” Kashoku laughed, “they really expect you to just stay at home and never leave your house?”

“Well, I don’t think they expect it, but that’s what they want,” she shrugged and rocked back and forth a few times before planting her feet back down. “What’s it like? Living Topside?”

“Loud,” Kashoku answered. “Busy. It’s not the paradise Shinra would like the Undercity to believe, but quality of life is definitely better. Cleaner, if anything. Maybe I’ll be able to bring you up here one day.”

Aerith shifted uncomfortably. “I’m scared of it.”

“Scared of what? The big city?”

“The sky,” she answered.

Kashoku smiled softly at her. “The sky is probably the most unscary thing about the world out there. No matter how ugly the city can feel sometimes, the sky is always pretty. Sunsets, sunrises, even storms, they all are uniquely beautiful.”

“Maybe,” Aerith muttered, clearly not believing her. She shook her head and jumped back up onto her feet putting on a smile. “So! What can you do?”

“What can I do?” Kashoku asked for clarification.

“Well, like,” Aerith opened her arms out towards their surroundings. “We can both grow flowers and we can reach each other in our dreams. Can you do anything else? I can heal people, sometimes. Without materia.”

“Really? Wow!” Kashoku joined the teen by standing. It really felt like her bare feet were touching the earth. “I don’t have any healing abilities, I don’t think, but I guess I’ve never tried. I can, apparently, create summon materia.”

Aerith’s wide green eyes blew wider and she gasped. “Wo-ow! How?”

Kashoku reached down beneath her night shirt and pulled out her pendant. “Honestly? I don’t know. I couldn’t do it again knowingly. I don’t really recommend it, though. It sucked and put me out for a few days. Does healing take anything out of you?”

“Like, make me tired? I don’t think so,” Aerith shrugged. “It’s not noticeable if it does. What does your summon look like? I’ve never seen one before, only heard about them in stories.”

Kashoku fumbled with her pendant and laughed. “No clue! I haven’t really tried to use it. Kind of scared to, honestly.”

“I have a materia my mother gave me, but it doesn’t do anything. It’s still special, though, because she gave it to me.”

“It’s nice to just have that memory.” Kashoku wished she had something of her parents. “I guess there isn’t really an Ancient handbook out there, is there? Making it up as we go.”

“Pretty much,” Aerith agreed with a nod. “My mom told me stories before she died, but not really about the things we could do. I think she was afraid to say much that Shinra could potentially hear.”

Smart. They would have used anything they could have against them as leverage. “Did your mom know where The Promised Land was? Do you?”

“Nope,” Aerith shook her head. “Not a clue. You?”

Kashoku her head. “Can’t say that I do. Sometimes, though, I...have you ever had visions?”

Aerith hummed and twisted her torso back and forth thoughtfully. “Kind of? I had this feeling that something bad had happened a few days before Mom’s husband was killed. Then he visited me to say goodbye before entering the Lifestream. So, I guess I kind of felt like it was going to happen before it did. Like that?”

“Yeah,” Kashoku looked down at her hands and then up at the sky of beautifully flickering lights and stars. “I feel like something really bad is going to happen to my boyfriend and our two SOLDIER friends.”

Aerith reached out and took her hand in hers. “The future isn’t set in stone. That’s what my real mom used to always say. Maybe together we can figure out our powers and you can protect them?”

“I really hope so,” Kashoku squeezed her hand. Being around Aerith at least gave her hope.

“Can we continue to do this?” Aerith asked, not letting go of her hand. “Visit each other like this? Sometimes I...I get lonely.”

Kashoku’s heart sank. She could see the loneliness in the girl’s eyes. Did she even have any friends that she could talk to? Or was the Planet all she had? “I get lonely sometimes, too. We can visit each other as often as you’d like, Aerith.”

Aerith’s face lit up. “Thank you! I’m really glad we found each other, Kashoku.”

“Me, too,” Kashoku smiled.

Aerith finally released her hand and looked up. The sky was starting to lighten. “Guess it’s time to wake up, huh? See you!”

“Bye,” Kashoku waved as Aerith started to vanish. The girl waved back and then she was gone.

/*/

“Kage. My office, please,” Veld instructed as he passed by her in the conference room towards the door. 

Sighing, Kage dropped her feet from the table and followed after him. Private conversations with Veld usually led to top secret missions that needed to be handled with care Or, well, that you were in trouble. Kage had been feeling messy lately on missions. Not messy as in she wasn’t doing a good job, but messy in the fact that she didn’t like to be very careful once punches started flying. “Whose fucking who now that I have to help keep hush hush?”

“Funny you should say,” Veld said as he took a seat and Kage shut the door behind herself.

“Planet, I was kidding but ok.” She crossed her arms and chose against sitting.

Veld leaned back and folded his hands in front of his face. “Palmer has been a little careless in his visits to the Honeybee Inn.”

Kage raised an eyebrow. “Am I going to have to force an abortion on someone?” Not that she’d ever have to make a girl get an abortion if the dad was Palmer. Any Honeygirl would probably be delighted at an all expense paid Shinra abortion. 

“That was not information I asked for in my briefing nor was it given,” Veld answered without missing a beat. “Though should that eventually pop up I will send you to deal with it appropriately. Palmer apparently had very important weapons schematics on his person when he visited the Inn and had them stolen.”

Kage’s jaw twitch and tightened. Great. The fucking fat bastard had been a complete idiot and now she was going to have to kill someone for just trying to make a quick gil to feed themselves.

“You seem angry,” Veld pointed out coolly.

“Yeah, angry that I’m going to have to kill someone for that tub of lard’s mistake,” Kage scoffed. “Stealing is kind of what people do in the Undercity to survive, especially Wall Market.”

“The mission is to regain the schematics and neutralize the threat. You can use your own judgement,” Veld said simply. “You won’t have a problem with going to Wall Market, will you?”

Kage huffed and waved a hand. The tables had flipped between her and Corneo, and it was he who had something to fear, now. “Yeah, yeah, no problem.”

“I’d prefer you do this alone as to not draw attention, but if you need Rude you may take him.”

“I got it,” she told him, already reaching for the door. 

Veld’s voice stopped her. “How’s Kashoku these days?”

Kage froze briefly and swallowed before forcing herself to relax and seem unbothered by the question. It was always impossible to tell with Veld. Did he know and wanted to test her loyalties, or was he fishing and seeing if she’d bend? It was a game that Kage hated to play. “Missing her fuck buddy.”

“Ah, yes, Commander Rhapsodos. My, she really does know how to give her father grey hairs, doesn’t she?”

Kage snorted. The fan clubs knew. The Turks knew. It was only a matter of time before Reeve knew, too. “They are trying to keep it on the down low but they aren’t doing a very good job, are they?”

“To be fair I don’t believe they are trying very hard,” Veld told her. “The hazards of young love. It makes you very blind.”

Kage almost felt herself hurl. “Don’t you dare say the L word like that again. I can’t even go there with those two right now.”

“Would infatuation be better?” He suggested. 

“It would be more accurate,” she agreed. The L word that belonged in the same sentence as those two was lust. 

Veld hummed. “It would be interesting, though, wouldn’t it? An offspring of a SOLDIER and an Ancient. That would be of high value to Shinra.”

Ahh. Yeah, there it was. Kage had refused to give up anything of use so he called a checkmate on her and she had to work overtime to keep her face neutral. “I’m sure it would be. Too bad neither really strike me as wanting to dive into parenthood anytime soon. That all?”

“I don’t know, is it?” Veld countered.

Kage sucked in a breath through her nose. Playing hardball, huh? “I mean, that’s all I got. Sorry I haven’t really cared to ask the details of their fuck sessions. Should I ask and write it out in a report for you or?”

Veld smiled. “I look forward to your report on the missing schematics.”

“Uh huh,” Kage hummed before finally making her escape. Not only was she going to buy Kashoku and Genesis the biggest box of condoms as a homecoming gift when he returned from Wutai, she was about to raid the infirmary for the good shit they gave the Turks as contraceptive. The Science department wasn’t going to get a SOLDIER/Ancient hybrid baby on her watch, dammit. 

Kage didn’t wear her suit down to Wall Market. It would spook the workers at the Honeybee Inn. Honestly, it would spook anyone spending time at Wall Market after dark. So, she picked out the tightest dress in her closet and tucked away a knife between her breasts and strapped a few onto her thighs. Apparently, it had been a Honeyboy and not a Honeygirl Palmer had been fucking around with. Tall, lanky, and a redhead with some face tattoos. That had been the description Veld had gotten from Palmer. Big mistake on the guy’s part in not covering up those tattoos. Never show something that could lead the enemy to you. If he was smart he would be long gone from Sector 6, but Kage didn’t think anyone stealing from a top-tier Shinra exec was very smart to begin with. Or maybe he was genius. Could go either way. 

“Welcome to the Honeybee Inn!” The man at the front desk greeted her. “Is there a Honeygirl or boy that you would like to see tonight?”

Kage put on her best smile and leaned on the desk squeezing her breasts between her arms. “Actually, there is. I don’t remember his name, actually, but he had bright red hair and these funny tattoos on his face.”

“Ah, Reno!” The man smiled, completely unfazed by her attempts at seduction. Damn, yeah, girls probably did that to him every five seconds here. “It does look like he is available tonight. Will you be paying cash or card?” 

Kage pulled out her Shinra employee card from between her breasts, every woman’s natural purse, and placed it on the desk. Veld would have absolutely preferred that she had pulled out cash ahead of time, but she would take great delight in putting this on the expense report for exactly what it was. He ran the card and she left a generous tip ahead of time. Reno would probably never get it because he’d end up dead in a ditch somewhere, but it was just about spiting Shinra at this point. 

“If you’ll go right through those doors, miss, Reno will meet you shortly.”

“Thanks,” Kage smiled sweetly as she pocketed the card back in her boobs ahead and headed through the doors. Kage had never actually spent much time at the Honeybee Inn. She’d been too young to flaunt around there when she’d been under Corneo’s thumb. No, she was part of his special private stash that was viewed by invite only at his mansion. Fucker. She waited by the gaudy fountain of the circular room with doors every few feet leading to private rooms. Looking around she made notes of the various types of people coming and going. Many were Shinra executives masquerading as normal people even though they were cheating on wives and husbands. Some were Undercity folk that had been saving for months - years - for a hookup. The Honeybee Inn drew in anyone and everyone. Not even the President himself was immune to its charm. 

“Wow,” a voice whistled behind her and she turned. “It’s not every night that I’m personally requested by someone so hot.”

Kage looked him up and down. He was indeed tall and lanky like his description, limbs so long they almost looked awkward on him. His hair was a fake firey red that stood up everywhere. Cobalt blue eyes were framed by red lines. Gang tattoos. Interesting. Previously a member or still one? He had a strong jaw but his face was still feminine. If he had long hair he could easily pass as a woman. That lower lip of his was fat, too. It had sucked a lot of dick. She’d put gil on it. This kid was a total twink.

“You must be Reno. You came highly recommended,” Kage told him, sensing he loved a good ego stroke.

Reno’s lip twitched in delight proving her right. “I often do. Gotta say, though, I’m surprised someone as gorgeous as yourself would want to pay for sex. Usually I just get the fat fucks and the old hags.”

Kage shrugged. “What can I say? Most men aren’t really into what I’m into.”

Stepping into her space, Reno started to circle her suggestively before leaning in towards her neck. “And what is it you’re into?”

“I like to strap on a dick of my own and fuck pretty boys like you until they are screaming my name,” Kage said with a completely straight face. 

Reno’s dark eyebrows shot up in delight. “Well, that sounds like a pretty good time if you ask me. Should we grab a room?”

Damn. She kind of liked him. Could she risk threatening him enough he’d leave town and keep quiet? Was it worth that risk? She followed him into a room and Reno started to unbutton the black and gold vest he wore. Kage interrupted him by grabbing a fistful of his shirt and threw him onto the couch before straddling him.

Reno’s eyes widened in shock and then they glistened. “Oh-ho! Nice! This is going to be fun, huh? There’s toys in the clos-,” 

Kage placed a hand on his mouth and shushed him as she stuck her other hand down his pants. “Shhh I’m the one in charge tonight, remember?” Reno nodded and smirked against her palm. “So. Let’s play a game, shall we? I’m going to ask you some questions and for every right answer I'll continue giving you a nice little hand job. For every wrong answer I threaten to cut it off and maybe go all the way. K?” Reno frowned as Kage removed her hand on his cock to pull out the knife between her breasts. He suddenly nodded fiercely against her hand. His eyes had turned black with lust. Fuck, he was actually turned on by this. Of course she’d get the sadist.

Removing her hand from his mouth so he could answer she started. “Were you with a Shinra director two nights ago?”

Reno’s face turned white and he let out a low laugh. “Oh, shit. What are you, his wife or something? You are way too fucking hot for-,” Kage put the top of her blade to his cock and he licked his lips. “Yeah. Yeah, I was with some fat fuck from Shinra.”

Kage smiled and gave his cock a nice stroke making him grunt. “And did you steal some very important schematics from him?”

Reno’s eyes exploded in realization. “Fuck!” He reached up with ridiculous speed and grabbed Kage so he could ram his head into hers knocking her back. 

Kage cursed, completely thrown off with how quickly he moved. Wiping at her nose and coming away with blood she groaned and lifted her dress to grab another knife. Just as Reno was reaching for the door Kage threw it. The blade pierced Reno’s hand and stuck it to the door.

“FUCK!” Reno growled before letting out a scream of pain. “You bitch!”

Licking her lips and tasting copper she got to her feet and grabbed the blade he’d tossed off her earlier before approaching him. “Yeah, I am a bitch, and you’re a thieving twink. You’re cute but not very smart. You don’t exactly blend in with the crowd and then you don’t lay low? Rookie mistake, kid.”

“Fuck you, bitch,” Reno reached up and pulled out the knife with a scream and slashed at Kage before she could even blink.

She felt the sting of the cut left behind by the blade before she even realized what had happened. Fuck, how was he so fast? Letting out a low laugh she took a step back. “Gotta say I wasn’t expecting a fight but let’s go. Makes the night more interesting.”

Reno was lightning quick but he was inexperienced with holding a weapon. Kage dodged his attacks while studying his pattern and then struck at the right moment to grab and twist his arm forcing the knife out of his hand. He screamed but recovered quickly and tossed her over his shoulder. She barely grabbed on in time to take him down with her. They crashed into the makeup vanity sending shit flying.

Kage’s shoulder throbbed in pain and she growled as she tried to keep her grip on Reno and climbed on top of him. Her dress had come up completely over her waist but this was no time for modesty. With heavy breaths she forcefully grabbed his jaw. 

“You sure we can’t hate fuck before we kill each other?” Reno asked between deep breaths before reaching for Kage’s neck.

Kage dodged just in time and flipped them. They rolled a few times until she managed to get on top again and she slammed him down hard. His dick was still half hanging out and she grabbed a hold of it giving it a violent twist. “Give me the schematics you stole and maybe I’ll fuck your corpse when I’m done killing you.”

Reno laughed even though she still had a deathgrip on his cock. A dribble of blood rolled down his chin from a split lip. “That a promise?” He didn’t give her time to answer as he went for her throat again. He still missed, but this time he got a chunk full of hair making her scream as he twisted them around so he was behind her. 

Kage reached behind her and clawed at his eyes. She felt her nails scrape against his cheeks. It was enough to make him let her go though he lunged for one of the bloody knives with his bleeding hand on the hideous carpet. Kage let him go for it, instead reaching for the knife on her other leg. Even though Reno was fast, Kage had her knife against his throat by the time he turned around. She let it pierce his skin. 

Chuckling, Reno let his body fall limp against the ground. “Guess this is the end of the line, huh?”

Kage had come into this very prepared to kill her mark, but she hadn’t expected to meet resistance. There was potential here. Too much potential to be wasted. Shit. Veld was going to murder her for bringing home another stray. “Do you like your job here at The Honeybee Inn?”

Reno shrugged before spitting out a wad of blood. “I get paid to fuck people. I like to fuck people. Or, well, be fucked. Both are fine.”

“Yeah, but I know you give half or better of what you make to Corneo,” Kage pointed out knowingly as she sat back on him. Just in case.

That earned her an irritated grunt. “Yeah. And?”

“How’d you like to get paid to fuck people all while keeping all your pay?” Kage asked. 

Reno’s eyes went wide and then he started to laugh as he shook his head. “Just kill me and be done with it, won’t you?”

“You really want to die?” Kage asked him honestly, though she kept her knife firmly in place.

“No, but you’re a Turk. I’m dead either way I look at it.”

“Not if you become one of us.”

Now Reno got the hint. He lifted his head. “You’re shitting me. Me? A Turk? Why?”

“I’ve been waiting for my honeypot twink protege. I think I’ve finally found him,” Kage grinned before retracting the knife and bringing it up to her mouth to lick the blood. “You’d still get to fuck people, but you’d be the one in charge. I mean, yeah, there’s the occasional murder and such, but a small price to pay. You don’t seem like you’d be too bothered by that.”

Reno went silent, contemplating her words as he thought deeply. “And Corneo? I wouldn’t be bound to him anymore?”

“Corneo is the Turk’s bitch,” Kage answered. 

Reno let out a low laugh and gave his arms a toss. “Sure. Why the fuck not. I’m in. Schematics are in that drawer on the right, yo.”

Kage untangled herself from him and made her way to the vanity that was still standing, one eye on Reno who didn’t move from the floor. The USB drive was in the drawer like he had said. “First real tip, New Blood, never hold on to evidence. Sell it off quickly and get out of dodge.”

Reno scoffed. “Noted.” He let his head roll to the side and smirked at her. “You sure you don’t wanna peg me? I’m still down. Or maybe I could eat you out. I know your pussy is all wet after that scuffle.”

“I don’t fuck recruits,” Kage winked at him, though he was right. She might have been a little wet. “Get up and shove your cock back into your pants.”

Rolling over with a groan Reno did as he was told and ran a bloody hand through his red hair after he’d finished. “Is it always like this? Being a Turk?”

“Not always, but you get out of it what you put into it,” Kage told him. “If you want to rut up on all of your marks, go for it. We each have our own styles.”

“Corneo is going to be pissed,” he commented.

“Fuck Corneo,” Kage said with probably a little too much enthusiasm.

Reno arched an eyebrow. “You were one of us, weren't you?”

“Not exactly,” Kage responded as she pulled her dress back down. “I was part of his special crop.”

“Fuck,” Reno breathed in understanding. “And I thought I had it bad. My mom was a Honeygirl. I’m some Shinra fuck’s bastard kid raised in a brothel.”

“Everyone in the Undercity is some Shinra bastard’s bastard kid,” Kage told him. Shit, she honestly wouldn’t be surprised at all if she found out that was the case for herself. Some high up exec found himself a nice Wutai whore, knocked her up, and then dumped them in the Undercity. Seemed on brand. It was probably at least half true, at least.

Reno grunted and looked at his still bleeding hand and wiped at his split lip. “You at least got a damn cure materia for this?”

“Nope,” Kage told him as she threw a discarded shirt probably from a former client at him. “Wrap it up until we can get to headquarters.”

They received a lot of looks on the train back to Sector 0, but they all knew better than to open their mouths. Every Turk that was still at the office stopped what they were doing and stared as they entered. Reno winked and blew kisses at each and every one. Kage didn’t bother knocking as she busted through Veld’s office door. He had a phone to his ear but promptly hung up.

Veld carefully assessed the situation before speaking. “You brought in the target as a new recruit.”

“You told me to use my own judgement, so I used my own judgement,” she told him. “Come on, look at me. It’s been a while since someone got me this good.”

Reno flashed his white teeth. “This boss man?”

“To be determined,” Veld answered before looking straight at Kage. “Corneo is not going to be very happy with us. This is the second one you’ve stolen.”

“Stolen would insinuate neither of them wanted to come,” she pointed out. “Both Ruluf and Reno here came of their own free will. I’d say I poached them, if anything.”

Veld sighed, every bit as unhappy as Kage figured he would be. “No more, Kage. Bring home any more strays and I’ll deal with them personally.”

“Deal,” Kage agreed. 

“Get Two Guns to take him to the infirmary and get him cleaned up,” Veld instructed.

Kage opened the door and yelled out to Ruluf to come fetch Reno. Once both men were gone Kage tossed the bloody USB drive to Veld. “Hey, mission accomplished.”

Veld grunted and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the drive down. “It has been a long time since I saw you come home looking like that after going after just one man.”

Kage shrugged. The dried blood on her face was starting to itch like crazy though she resisted the urge to scratch in front of her boss. “What can I say? I guess I just attract talent.”

“And your first thought in the middle of a knife fight was to offer him a job?” Veld asked.

“Better a Turk than dead.”

Veld hummed. “That could be argued. Tell me of the skill sets you saw.”

“He’s fast,” Kage started. “Really fast. Like materia-enhanced levels fast, but he didn’t have any materia on him.”

“Drugs, perhaps?” Veld asked. “Mako injections?”

“Naw, not injections,” Kage shook her head. “He was too lucid for that. Wouldn’t put him past snorting a thing or two, though. Those kinds of drugs are pretty popular at the Inn.” He’d have to detox which would suck and then have frequent screens, but they all had to do that, anyway. “He’s also the honeypot we all always wanted. We all step up when we have to, but no one in your arsenal actually _likes_ it. He does. The freakier the better, too.”

Veld shook his head and rubbed at his temple. “Go get cleaned up, Kage.”

Kage grinned knowing she’d won. She showered before she headed to the infirmary. Cleanliness was always more of a priority and a broken nose always looked way worse than it was, anyway. A nurse patched her up right as rain and she was headed home. There was just enough time to catch the last train back to Sector 5. She didn’t even make it out of her dress as she face planted onto the mattress.

Another successful Turk mission complete.

/*/

Genesis could barely keep himself upright. The battle had lasted a full twenty-four hours before they managed to make Wutai retreat with Bahamut. He had a gash on his face that was still bleeding profusely and every muscle ached. During the middle of the fight he’d had to pop his own shoulder back in after a group of the enemy forces had gotten close enough for a fist fight. What a cluster fuck. Shinra had known that the Wutai had managed to steal a stash of materia months ago, but now they apparently knew how to use it. The new Thirds were still too new and they’d lost a few. Angeal was feeling that the most. At least his puppy still lived. Genesis was maybe a little less thrilled at that.

The line outside the medic tent was massive and all three Firsts knew they’d be the last to be seen. That was proper leadership. Soldiers came before Officers, always. Hobbling over to the central fire he sat down on the ground with a groan and leaned back against the log. Fuck. With a tired sigh he reached inside his coat and pulled out a photo. The white edges were now stained red. 

“Funny how that tends to happen a lot after a bad battle,” Angeal sighed as he sat next to Genesis with a dejected look.

“What?” Genesis asked, staring still at the photo.

“Soldiers pulling out photos of their loved ones,” Sephiroth answered as he joined them; however, he remained standing. “Though, typically one doesn’t carry around photos of someone they are simply - what was it you said - _fucking?”_

“Fuck you, Sephiroth, it’s a photo of all of us,” Genesis growled as he turned the photo around as proof. Ok, so maybe he had a photo of just Kashoku tucked away, too, but that one was for him and him only that no one, not even his best friend, would ever see. “Didn’t you promise me you were going to try and mind your own damn business?”

Sephiroth dipped his head in agreement. “Apologies. I misread the situation.”

“What else is new,” Genesis grumbled, tucking the photo back away.

Angeal let out another sigh and smoothed back his hair. “Can you two not right now, please? It’s already been a hell of a day.”

“You really don’t think about people out there on the battlefield?” Genesis asked, though he mellowed out his tone at Angeal’s request. “About the friends and family you could leave behind if you died?”

Sephiroth tilted his head thoughtfully and then shook it. “I do not. My only family is the two of you and you are here beside me. Plus, I do not entertain the thought of dying on the battlefield.”

“We can all die, Sephiroth,” Angeal said somberly. “Even you.”

“Do you both have doubts in your abilities to return back home?” Sephiroth asked, genuinely curious. There was no malice in his words, only interest.

Genesis had to grind his teeth together to keep him from opening his mouth with a bitter retort. He had never doubted himself like that. Yes, he oftentimes felt inferior to Sephiroth, but never to the Wutai troops they faced. Thing was, anyone could get lucky on any given day. No amount of talent or mako enhancements could stand up against blind luck. Just ask all the Thirds who had died in the last day.

“I do have doubts,” Angeal confessed, “because I cannot protect everyone no matter how hard I try. The new Thirds were prepared. They all had every bit of training they needed to succeed, and yet several will be going home in body bags. Of course that fosters doubt.”

Sephiroth hummed and crossed his arms. “Love has no place on the battlefield, Angeal. It makes you weak.”

“Love makes you weak? You really believe that?” Genesis spat angrily, no longer able to hold back. “Man, you aren’t even fucking human, are you?”

Sephiroth’s face twitched angrily, like Genesis had hit a nerve. “If it is a distraction, it is a weakness.”

“It’s not a distraction,” Angeal argued, “it gives you something to fight for.”

“We are fighting for Shinra,” Sephiroth countered.

Genesis couldn’t help it, he threw back his head and laughed even if it did make his temple throb painfully. “Shit. You’re the only one on this entire battlefield who is actually fighting for Shinra.”

Sephiroth cocked his head like a dog, clearly confused. “What, then, are you fighting for, Genesis?”

“Your right to say stupid shit like that,” Genesis scoffed. Angeal fired a glare his way. “Come on, Sephiroth. Even _you_ have to feel a little sadness at the thought of never getting to go back to Midgar and hanging out with the girls again.”

“It would be unfortunate,” Sephiroth agreed.

Genesis made a noise of disgust. _“Unfortunate.”_ He looked back at Angeal, “Do you hear this shit?”

Angeal’s jaw clenched and he was silent for a moment, thumbs fiddling with each other in his lap as he thought over his words. “I think it’s sad. Everyone should be able to know and feel love. Maybe Genesis and I haven’t been as good of friends as we had thought to you. I vow to do better.”

Sephiroth’s face softened and he lowered his arms and relaxed them. “I will make the same vow. I want to understand. I hope one day that I do.”

Genesis saw that Angeal was waiting for him to say something nicer than he had before and he let out a grunt as he looked away. After a few seconds, though, he somehow felt guilty and stood. Pulling out the group photo again he slapped it against Sephiroth’s chest. “Here. You need this more than I do.”

Sephiroth looked at the photo and there was the smallest of smiles on his lips. “Yes. Thank you.”

“I’m going to try and find some water to at least wash the damn blood out of my eyes,” Genesis told them. “Need anything?”

Angeal got to his feet as well, “No. I’m going to go check out the medical tent. Sometimes just seeing our faces lifts their spirits.” He placed a hand on Sephiroth’s shoulder as he passed by.

It was almost three am by the time Genesis finally could step inside the medic’s tent without being shoulder-to-shoulder with their troops. He could see the exhaustion on the medic’s faces. Keeping his request to just make sure his face wouldn’t scar he grabbed a potion and left it at that. Others had it far worse and he could sleep everything else off. 

Downing a powerbar he had stored away at his bunk he kicked off his boots and didn’t bother with anything else as he laid back on his cot. He didn’t trust they wouldn’t be attacked again until morning light. Letting out a tired sigh he pulled out his other photo. It was dark and only a sliver of moonlight peeked through the tent but it was enough. The edges weren’t as stained as the other photo, but there were still a few smudges of blood. Placing it over his heart beneath his palm and his chest so no one would see he closed his eyes.

Genesis knew his bed didn’t feel this good and field tents certainly didn’t smell like flowers. His pillow felt firmer than a pillow, but at the same time much nicer. He opened his eyes and smiled. “I’m dreaming.”

“You are,” Kashoku confirmed looking down at him.

Genesis was lying in a field of flowers with his head cradled in Kashoku’s lap. “Gotta say, I’m a little disappointed in myself that this isn’t a bedroom.”

“Well, don’t look at me,” Kashoku chuckled. “This is your dream. Guess subconsciously you weren’t feeling a wet one.”

His smile disappeared. “No. Guess not. A lot happened today.”

“Wanna talk about it?” Kashoku offered, brushing aside his bangs and tracing a gentle finger against the healing injury on his temple. 

“Don’t you already know about it since you’re technically me?” Genesis asked.

“Sure, but sometimes it still helps to say it outloud even to ourselves.”

Genesis grumbled and let his head loll to the side. “The real Kashoku, I’ve learned, isn’t impressed with my war stories.”

“Oh, you’ve finally learned that, huh? After all this time?”

“Hey!” He whined, “I will not accept mockery in my own dream!”

“Then it wouldn’t be very authentic, would it?” She countered before smiling. “The real Kashoku isn’t impressed with your war stories when you talk yourself up as the hero, but she’d be willing to listen to those that may not have such a happy ending.”

Genesis contemplated it, but ultimately shook his head. “I’m dreaming of you because I don’t want to think about it.”

“And yet it’s still on your mind,” Kashoku argued.

“Fine, why don’t you grow roses?” Genesis threw out, abruptly changing the subject. “It’s always the lilies and tulips.”

Kashoku was silent for a moment before answering, “Would you want me to grow roses?”

Genesis reached out and touched the petals of a white lily. “I like roses. Destructive at the base, but if you can make it past the thorns there’s beauty.”

“Sounds like you’re describing a cactus.”

Genesis groaned, “No peace from you even in my own dreams!”

“Should I leave?” Kashoku teased, starting to get up.

He caught her forearm and pressed his head against her lap to keep her down. “No. Clearly I get off on you giving me an attitude.”

“Don’t let real Kashoku let you hear that,” she smirked.

Genesis huffed. “Would you do it, though? Grow me roses?”

“Sure,” Kashoku leaned in, “right next to the cacti.” She kissed his nose. 

Reaching up with a finger he placed them against her lips and hushed her. “Ok, that’s enough out of you. Me. Whatever. I’m going to close my eyes now and sleep.”

“You want to sleep in your dream?” Kashoku questioned, trying hard not to laugh at him.

“Yes,” Genesis answered, burying his face against her leg and closing his eyes. 

She finally chuckled and crossed her arms over his chest. “Ok, then. Sweet dreams.”

Genesis fell into a deeper sleep and dreamed of nothing. 


	3. Chapter 3

**February 1999, Midgar**

  


“So, did it work?”

  


Kashoku sighed and shook her head. “No. I don’t know if maybe I’m doing something wrong or if maybe I just can’t heal people. It’s also kind of hard to convince someone to sit still to let me try without explaining what I’m trying to do, so there’s that.”

  


Aerith hummed thoughtfully as she paced around the dream world flower bed. “I guess nothing says that every Ancient can do the same sort of stuff, but - hmm. Being apart really makes it hard! It would be so much easier if I could just show you how I do it.”

  


“I know, but it’s just not that simple to meet in person,” Kashoku argued reluctantly. “We have the Turks to worry about.”

  


Aerith groaned and puffed out her cheeks. “Who cares about the Turks!? They aren’t really as scary as they like to pretend. Plus, they won’t hurt us!”

  


“Aerith, they are every bit as scary as they pretend,” Kashoku warned her. “They don’t seem that way to you because they are purposely trying to persuade you to come back to Shinra. Of course they’d play nice and offer you all sorts of gifts and empty promises. You’re valuable.”

  


“We-ll,” Aerith spun around, her yellow dress fanning out as she did so, “Wouldn’t they treat you the same, then?”

  


Kashoku wasn’t so sure. It was different that she was so close to so many high-ranking people in Shinra. Somehow, she didn’t think the Turks would react so kindly to her as they did Aerith. It would be too easy to use Kage, the boys, or even her father as leverage against her, or her against them. Kashoku had so much more to lose than Aerith did. “I don’t think they would.”

  


“Oh,” Aerith said disappointedly. “Well...can’t you ask your Turk friend to bring you back? Or I could tell you when the Turks come. They never come two days in a row. Usually it’s weeks between visits, honestly. If I tell you when they’ve come, the next few days would be safe for you.”

  


Kashoku wanted to say yes to Aerith. She was just as eager to meet again in person, but there was so much risk. Then again...maybe Aerith had a point. If they could predict the Turks’ schedule, it would be safer. Plus, Kashoku felt more comfortable traveling to the Slums without an escort now that she had her materia. Sector 5 Undercity was also one of the lowest on the incidents lists as far as crime went. Sectors 6 and 7 were the worst offenders. “I’ll think about it. Maybe Kage can come down with me and it won’t be an issue.”

  


Aerith hummed, not really satisfied with her answer but not pushing it. She brushed the back side of her dress and sat back down next to her. “Hey, do you have a phone?”

  


“I do,” Kashoku nodded. “Why, do you?”

  


She shook her head, “No, but my mom does. If you give me your number, maybe I can text or call you? I promise I won’t tell Mom you’re an Ancient. I’ll just say you’re a friend.”

  


“Ok, sure,” Kashoku agreed. What harm could come from that? “Think you can remember it?”

  


“I have a good memory,” Aerith assured her, “but wait until just before we wake up. Until then, tell me what it’s like to have a boyfriend!”

  


Kashoku laughed. “You’re only 13, why are you worried about boys?”

  


“14 now!” Aerith corrected. “I just had a birthday.”

  


“Oh, well, Happy Belated Birthday, then,” Kashoku smiled, “but that’s still a little young to be worrying about boys. There’s a lot more to the world than them, trust me.”

  


Aerith pursed her lips in a pout. “Well, when did you start worrying about boys?”

  


“Not until I was 16,” Kashoku told her. “But even then, it was never anything serious. I think my longest lasting boyfriend was a couple of months. Actually...Genesis has been my longest relationship. Though, does it count if he’s been away for most of it? Not really sure how that works. Boys are nice, but they are also really annoying and frustrating. Genesis and I fight a lot.”

  


“Really? Doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose?” Aerith asked. It wasn’t accusatory, but naively curious.

  


“Ah,” Kashoku contemplated how to respond. Fourteen was still a little young for the sex talk, she thought. Surely she already knew about it, but not the...nuances of lust. How being angry at someone can lead to just as much enjoyment as being enthralled with them. “It’s complicated. Every relationship is different. You’ll get it when you’re older. Focus on yourself and your friends for now.”

  


Lowering her head, Aerith rocked back and forth a few times and sighed. “I don’t really have any friends. You’re kind of it.”

  


Kashoku really found it so hard to believe that people wouldn’t like Aerith. She was very outgoing and friendly from what Kashoku could see. Persistent, too. “Why do you think that is?”

  


“People think I’m weird,” Aerith responded. “I talk to the flowers and...well...sometimes I see ghosts.”

  


“Ghosts?” Kashoku’s eyes widened curiously. She’d wondered if that was something she can do, but never had tried and no ghosts had ever appeared to her. “You can speak to the dead?”

  


Aerith nodded. “Yeah. Sometimes people don’t move on after they die. They have some sort of unfinished business. I talk with them. Sometimes they even play with me, and I consider them my friends, but…,” she lowered her gaze sadly, “eventually they find their way back to the Lifestream.”

  


“I’m sorry,” Kashoku reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. She really felt for Aerith. Kashoku knew all too well what it was like to be treated differently. Kids were cruel. “You’ll find the right people eventually. They’ll come a long and accept you for who you are. Just hang in there.”

  


“Will they, though?” Aerith asked skeptically. “Will they really accept me for being who I am? An Ancient?”

  


It was something Kashoku had thought about frequently. If the boys knew. If Genesis really knew who and what she was, if he would still want to be with her. She wanted to believe that he would, but for the foreseeable future she would never know. “Real friends would. You have me, though, you know?”

  


“Promise?” Aerith asked, extending a pinky towards Kashoku.

  


Smiling, Kashoku wrapped her pinky around Aerith’s. “Promise.”

  


“We’ll add talking to ghosts to the list of things you’ll have to try with me,” Aerith told her. “There probably aren’t a lot of ghosts Topside. People die pretty regularly down here, though.”

  


Kashoku hadn’t really thought of it that way, but Aerith had a somber point. People in the Undercity were prone to many types of illness and disease with little to no medical care. It did make her want to try stopping by the hospital in Sector 7, though. Just to see...

  


“Come see me soon, please?!” Aerith begged. 

  


“I’ll try really hard,” Kashoku assured her. She wanted it just as bad as Aerith did, it was just so complicated and difficult.

  


Aerith nodded, accepting her word and looking towards the sky. “It’s getting light.”

  


“It is,” Kashoku agreed. “It feels like time passes so fast in here, doesn’t it?”

  


“I wish it went slower,” Aerith said, wrapping her arms around her legs. “I’ll see you soon?”

  


“Of course,” Kashoku smiled. “Ready for that number? 55-522-5859.”

  


“Got it!” Aerith said before repeating it back.

  


Everything around them started to fade and before Kashoku knew it the garden and Aerith were gone and her eyes were opening to her bedroom. It was disappointing and frustrating. She felt trapped. Trapped by Kage, trapped by Shinra. She wanted to be free, but there were so many limitations. 

  


Maybe Kage would agree to going back to the church if she asked and there was nothing to even worry about? It was worth a shot. She sent a text message to her about it but received no response. It went unanswered for days. Kashoku tried really hard not to press it knowing that Kage was probably in a situation where she couldn’t respond, but it was difficult. There was no ‘Hey I’m busy’ or ‘We’ll talk later’ messages. Kage just left her on read.

  


Kashoku couldn’t believe she was contemplating it, but she was. She was starting to think about visiting Aerith without Kage’s approval. Without her knowing. It wouldn’t hurt, right? Just once? Kashoku checked her phone one last time, wanting so badly to do what was right but also feeling a sense of desperation. There was still no response. 

  


“Lassie?” Cait Sith asked, picking up on her clear frustration. “What’s wrong?”

  


Biting her lower lip, Kashoku put away her PHS. “I think I’m about to do something you and everyone else would totally disapprove of.”

  


“Then maybe you shouldn't do it, lassie,” Cait Sith told her, hands on his hips.

  


“Ye-ah,” she agreed but then shrugged. “I’m gonna. Are you going to make me turn you off or you going to keep your mouth shut?” If she was going down to the Undercity alone, she definitely wanted Cait Sith with her. 

  


Cait Sith sighed and his tail and ears drooped. “Fine, lassie. What is it?”

  


“Well-,”

  


/*/

  


Kage looked at her phone and immediately put it away. She could not deal with Kashoku right now, especially not her asking about the church. The answer was an obvious no and she was not in a headspace to handle her friend’s whining. They’d already done too much too fast and they just all needed to lay fucking low. They were already so damn lucky that word Kashoku and Aerith had actually met hadn’t gotten back to anyone. It didn’t help Veld had put a meeting on her calendar and that had already put her in a bad mood combined with the shit show of a mission she’d gotten back from yesterday. She’d finished the mission as assigned, but it still had left her feeling sour. It also didn’t help that the mood in the bullpen seemed off on top of everything else. Ruluf especially looked like someone had shoved a stick up his ass.

  


“Come on partner, give me something to work with, here,” Reno groaned, poking at Rude’s shoulder, legs crossed as he sat on the edge of the desk. It looked a lot like the position she was usually in around Rude. 

  


Kage raised a curious eyebrow at it. “Hate to break it to you, Reno, but Rude is strictly into boobs and vagina. No matter how much you would look like a girl with long hair, you don’t have the necessary parts.”

  


“Firstly, I disagree,” Reno started, leaning back against Rude’s desk and practically sprawling out against it. “I bet I could convince big daddy Rude to fuck me. I wouldn’t even charge him! Secondly, I didn’t mean  _ that _ kind of partner. At least for now, anyways. Gotta give me some time on that one.”

  


Kage’s eyes shot to Rude for clarification, not in the mood to play Reno’s guessing game until he gave up a clear answer which he probably wouldn’t.

  


She couldn’t see his expression behind the glasses, but his body language said nothing good at all. “Veld pulled us into his office earlier to break the news. I’m with Reno, now. You’re with Tseng.”

  


_ What?! _ She looked up at Tseng who had been trying to hide in a corner to completely avoid the situation, and probably Kage. Looking back to Rude she let out a low laugh. This was a joke. Had to be. “Last I checked we are a few months shy of April, buddy. Also, hazing is supposed to be done on the rookies, not veterans. Fess up, who paid who? You had me for a solid five seconds, congratulations.” She looked over to Ruluf who looked like he was about to blow.

  


Rude sighed and held out his hands. “Director told me to send you and Tseng in as soon as you showed up.”

  


Kage looked at Tseng again and he just tilted his head in confirmation. Fuck.  _ Fuck!  _ Well, that explained why Ruluf looked like he was about to commit murder. He’d always been salty that he hadn’t been paired with Kage after being recruited, and this probably just made him even more angry. With an audible groan she stormed past the other Turks towards Veld’s office not even bothering to wait for Tseng. Without a knock or warning Kage barged right into the director’s office. It didn’t even make Veld flinch, the man likely expecting this kind of reaction anyway. “Are you serious?! Newbies are supposed to be put with those that recruit them! You already gave Ruluf to Rod, and now you’re not only giving Reno away but giving him to  _ my fucking partner!” _

  


Veld sighed and gestured to Tseng who had apparently followed her in. “Close the door, would you?” Tseng tilted his chin and did as he was told. “You have no one to blame but yourself for this, Kage. You refused my offer to make you my second-in-command and protege which led me to find someone else. I’ve found that someone else, and now you are to train and mentor him to take your place.”

  


“Tseng?” Kage blurted out in disbelief, letting out a low laugh as she looked back at her new  _ partner. _ “You’ve chosen Tseng to be my replacement? Next to Reno he’s the freshest blood on the force.”

  


“You disagree?” Veld questioned with a casual but challenging eyebrow. 

  


Kage’s jaw tightened and she looked at Tseng who had an obnoxiously neutral face and was once again hiding in the corner of the room. Just like Veld. Planet, no, he was the perfect fucking choice. Her nostrils flared in annoyance at having to agree with him, but it was completely logical. Most of the Turks with seniority were experts in the field but would be shit behind the desk.  _ Like me.  _ Tseng was just the perfect type of ‘yes man’ for the job. “Fine. I get why you put me with Tseng, but you really are going to do Rude like that? He doesn’t deserve it.”

  


“I think Rude and Reno will be a very nice balance to one another. Each has what the other doesn’t,” Veld said, dismissing her worries.

  


Well, he wasn’t wrong about the second part. Reno and Rude definitely had what the other didn’t, but that hardly made them two parts of a whole. Yeah, she wasn’t convinced of that at all. She didn’t think Rude wanted what Reno had. She would have put Reno with Ruluf, to be honest. Two people cut from the same cloth. Both with history in the Slums and Wall Market. Rude was a soft soul deep down. Reno was...Reno. He’d adapted to Turk life a little too well and was eccentric. The kid didn’t know what it meant to take a chill pill and Rude was an entire bottle of it. “Let’s agree to disagree,  _ sir.” _

  


“As we often do,” he agreed with a smirk. “The four of you will be temporarily grounded just so that you can get used to one another. I would advise plenty of hours utilizing the training and VR rooms. Learn how to watch each others’ backs. ”

  


She got it, she did, really, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. Being grounded put her in an even worse mood and she was already at her limits. “Fine. Whatever.” She shot Tseng a look. “Don’t you have anything to say or are you just going to creep out in the shadows like some wannabe Wutai ninja?”

  


Tseng shrugged. “I have nothing to add to the conversation. I agree with the Director’s assessment and suggestions.”

  


It was like Rude, but it was also the complete opposite. Rude would have said the same thing, but it wouldn’t have lit a fire in her that made her want to punch him. Rude just didn’t want to argue. Tseng was being practical with an underlying hint of sarcasm. Big difference. “Fine. Great. I’ll beat your ass and have you looking at me from the floor in the training room, but after lunch. I’m getting pretty hangry.” Not even bothering to wait to be dismissed she reached for the door making Tseng step aside so she could leave. Ruluf had left. Probably for the best. He needed time to cool off, but she’d be sure to call him later. He needed to hear from her that she had nothing to do with this. She gave Rude an apologetic look as she reentered the bullpen. “I’m sorry.”

  


“For what?” Rude asked. “Wasn’t your call, and I’m honestly not that surprised.”

  


“Yeah, but you two aren’t exactly what I’d call compatible,” she pointed out, glaring at Reno who had somehow magically unbuttoned the top two buttons of his dress shirt. Yeah, she wasn’t exactly a model Turk when it came to her uniform, but she’d at least waited until she’d been around a while to start bending the code.

  


“Hey, people love me!” Reno argued. “I was the most requested whore in the whorehouse!”

  


“Yeah, except Rude is the kind to pay the whore to not fuck him and would rather just get to know them,” Kage pointed out.

  


Reno sat up and crossed his thin legs as he narrowed his eyes towards Rude. “Oh. I see. You’re the kind that would make me dinner, wouldn’t you?”

  


“What’s wrong with making someone dinner?” Rude asked defensively.

  


“Shit. You’re right,” Reno looked to Kage with worried eyes “We’re not compatible at all. Who the hell cooks their whore dinner?”

  


“Rude does,” Kage answered, smiling knowingly at her now ex-partner.

  


Rude let out an annoyed huff. It was rare to get any kind of reaction out of him, and yet Reno had already succeeded. “Rude doesn’t partake in such events, so it’s a moot point.”

  


Kage grabbed a seat and pulled it up. “See? He can’t even say the word whore.”

  


“Really?” Reno leaned back in across the desk far enough Rude slid his chair back. “Never? Not even once?”

  


“No,” Rude answered, arms crossing. Kage could tell he was really getting annoyed even though he was still keeping his cool on the outside.

  


With one incredibly swift motion Reno slid across the table and straight into Rude’s lap knocking his sunglasses half off his face to expose his shocked brown eyes. “We-ll, good thing for you your new partner used to be a Grade-A Whore! We can roleplay if you want! I’d be sure to make it a real good time,  _ partner.” _

  


Tseng tsked disapprovingly behind Kage while the other present Turks snorted and snickered.

  


“You sure you don’t want to blame me for this one?” Kage asked as Rude fumbled to untangle Reno’s long limbs from him before knocking him on his ass on the floor.

  


Rude simply let out a heavy sigh as he slid his glasses back up his nose with a single finger.

  


Kage kind of felt the same way. Rude was at least verbally silent in his disapproval of the things Kage did even if his body language said it all. Tseng had no problems whatsoever audibly announcing his displeasure and in the most annoying of ways. Sometimes Tseng felt like a robot to her.

  


“I guess we should get on with all that team bonding shit, too, huh?” Kage suggested to Tseng.

  


“Sparring?” Tseng asked, referencing her earlier comment. “I don’t believe I’ll be as easy to disarm as you believe.”

  


Kage stood and slapped Tseng on the back before passing him. “No, hot stuff. Drinking.”

  


“We are on the job,” Tseng protested immediately.

  


It made Kage grimace and she had to flex her hands to keep her from hitting him. “Yeah, we are on the job, and Veld gave us instructions to get used to one another. This is how you get used to me.”

  


“I thought you said you were hungry?” Tseng pointed out, trying to get her to change her mind.

  


“Haven’t you ever heard of pubs?” Kage asked flippantly. “Food and alcohol in one.”

  


“Is this always how you handle your emotions when you are upset?” Tseng asked, tucking his hands into his lower back and walking with that prissy aura he always did. 

  


Kage smiled and gave him an exaggerated wink, “Hey, look at that! We’re already learning things about one another!”

  


“Is something else bothering you?” Tseng asked suddenly.

  


The surprise of it made Kage come to a halt

  


“Ah, so there is,” Tseng smiled smugly.

  


Huffing, Kage turned around and crossed her arms. “What, you just throw a dart and hope it hits?”

  


“Did it not hit?” Tseng asked, raising a perfectly arched brow. “As your partner I should know when your mind is otherwise occupied and could affect our work.”

  


“Fine, my annoying little sister doesn’t know how to take no for an answer,” Kage told him. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t actually told Kashoku no, because her answer was no and she knew Kashoku would absolutely not take it for an answer. The fallout to actually saying no is why she had yet to respond to the message in the first place.

  


That seemed to perplex Tseng far longer than it should have and she could almost visibly see the wheels in his head turning until the lightbulb turned on. “Oh. You mean Kashoku Tuesti.”

  


Kage’s brows shot up. “What? Never heard of found family?”

  


“I have, but I suppose it occurred to me for a moment that you might have an actual blood family I was unaware of,” Tseng explained.

  


“If I do they’re dead or want nothing to do with me. Or both,” Kage answered with an unbothered shrug before pressing the down button to the elevator harder than necessary. “What about you? Any actual blood family?”

  


“If I do they’re dead or want nothing to do with me,” he echoed as she continued down the hall towards the elevators. He looked at her in disbelief that she was actually serious. “Are we really going out so you can drink?” 

  


“And eat, don’t forget eating,” she told him. “Welcome to being partners with Kage. It’ll be fun.” The doors opened and she stepped in. “Please keep all hands, feet, arms, and legs inside for the duration of the ride.” The button for the lobby was already pressed, several other people packed in waiting to go on their lunch hour. Tseng didn’t look to be moving and she irritably pressed the Doors Open button. “Don’t piss off everyone in this elevator, Tseng. The people are hungry.”

  


Tseng’s jaw clenched, and he looked like he might not actually follow Kage onto the elevator, but just as she removed her finger from the button he stepped on. 

  


Kage smirked as the doors closed. Tseng might have been far more vocal than Rude, but he was no more inclined to actually stop Kage than her former partner had been. Maybe she could work with this afterall.

  


/*/

  


When Kashoku’s PHS buzzed she almost knocked off the keyboard and mouse trying to get to it hoping it was Kage. It wasn’t from Kage, though. Instead, it was from an unknown number and she frowned at the message.

  


_ 55-253-2815: Have you heard back yet? _

  


Heard back yet? Maybe it was a wrong numb-oh! Wait! The 55 area code meant it was a Sector 5 number. 

  


_ Me: Aerith? _

  


_ 55-253-2815: Yup! _

  


Kashoku immediately entered it into her contacts as Aerith (Mom) as a reminder to herself that it was really her mom’s phone and to be mindful of what she said. She had half expected Aerith to not remember her number, but she had just as she assured she would.

  


_ Me: No...not yet. She usually doesn’t take this long to respond, even if she’s busy. _

  


_ Aerith (Mom): Is she ok? _

  


_ Me: I’m not sure… _

  


_ Aerith (Mom): Do you really have to wait for her? _

  


_ Me: Yes. I’ll keep trying, I promise. _

  


It prompted Kashoku to send Kage another message simply asking her if she was ok. An hour later she received a response:  _ Dealing with some work shit.  _ Kashoku puffed her cheeks and let out a louder than anticipated huff making her co-workers all look at her. She mumbled an apology and set her phone aside. Kage had purposely ignored her previous question which was a very resounding ‘no’ in Kage’s book. Kashoku’s initial reaction was to hit the call button and get into an argument, but she didn’t think she was going to win this one even if she almost always broke Kage down in the end. Kashoku was nothing if not persistent. She and Aerith shared that trait, it seemed. Was it an Ancient thing?

  


“You look ready for that afternoon coffee break,” Nyda told her with a hand on her shoulder.

  


Kashoku let out a sigh and nodded. “Yeah.” Being so openly Nyda’s favorite had caused almost more issues for her with her coworkers than being related to Reeve, but Kashoku could have cared less at this point. Having daily coffee with Nyda was more a chance for the woman to vent to someone about her husband and kids, and Kashoku was more than happy to listen to something that wasn’t related to Turks, SOLDIERs, and Ancients. It was a sense of normalcy. Plus, Nyda was the closest thing to a mother she’d ever had. She offered a type of mentorship that not even Ruvie could provide. Ruvie was a grandmother through and through, but Nyda could be an actual mother. 

  


“What’s on your mind today, kiddo?” Nyda nudged her as they got in line at the cafe. It was always long no matter what time of day. It could be two in the morning and there would still be at least three or four people.

  


Kashoku let out a busy enough sigh it sent her bangs flying. “What’s not on my mind? My boyfriend, Kage, my d-,”

  


“Boyfriend?!” Nyda gasped excitedly. 

  


_ Shit. _ Kashoku had not meant to say that! At least she could count on Nyda keeping it quiet...she hoped. Also, since when was referring to Genesis as her boyfriend so....easy?! First Aerith, now Nyda. “Um, well...yeah.”

  


“What’s wrong with the boyfriend?” She asked curiously.

  


Kashoku shook her head, “Nothing. Nothing at all because he’s gone.”

  


“Oh,” Nyda hummed knowingly. “Military, huh? Can’t say I’m surprised that would be your type of - Oh! Wait! Is it Commander Rhapsodos? It’s Command Rhapsodos, isn’t it?!”

  


_ “Shhh!” _ Kashoku hushed her frantically as they stepped closer to the register. “Yes, but we’re not really public with it, ok?!”

  


“Why not? Is it because of your dad? It’s because of your dad. Listen, Kash-,”

  


“It’s not because of my dad!” Kashoku protested. It was because of her dad, Kage, Angeal, Sephiroth, and the entirety of The Red Leather fanclub. “It’s just...new. We’re still working through things and being away from each other really sucks. Plus, more than just Daddy would be very against the two of us dating.”

  


“Well, yes, there would be hundreds - if not thousands - of broken hearts knowing the most eligible bachelor next to the President’s son was off the market.” They paused in their conversation to finally give their orders before stepping off to the side to wait. Nyda’s face softened almost into a frown. “I get it, though. Really. My first fiance was actually a military man.”

  


Kashoku’s eyes went wide as their names were called and their coffees set on top of the counter. “Wait, really? You were engaged before Michele?”

  


“Mmhm,” Nyda nodded as they found a small table to sit out in the lounge. “We weren’t at war then, so dating a military man seemed like such an easy decision. Guaranteed job, stability, access to all the perks of being a Shinra employee, and he was always home. Guess they don’t tell you when you sign up for it that soldiers die in training, too.”

  


Kashoku’s heart stopped and a hand reached up to clench it. “Oh, Planet...Nyda...I’m so sorry. It’s my worst fear about all of this, you know? It’s not that we won’t work out, but that I’ll stand there at the station waiting for the train to come and he never steps off.” Who would be the one to tell her? Would it be Kage? Lazard? Angeal or Sephiroth? “At least I know the risks. You were completely unsuspecting.”

  


“It was a long time ago, and I love Michele to the moon and back. Just trying to say that I understand the struggles. Well, mostly. Tam was never gone for months at a time or at the front lines. Are you two able to talk at all while he’s gone?”

  


“Not really,” Kashoku answered sadly. “We can share a few texts sometimes, but that’s really it. I write letters, but I don’t know if he even gets them. That’s not really…,” she sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before cupping her coffee between her palms. “I’ve just been trying to keep my mind occupied with other things, but those are causing issues, too. I...at what point do you stop listening to others and start doing things for yourself?”

  


Nyda contemplated her question curiously, probably trying to figure out exactly what it was she was talking about. “Kashoku, you’re plenty old enough to make your own decisions. You’ve been living on your own for a few years, you’ve got a stable job at Shinra, and now you have a steady boyfriend. Your dad can’t control you forever, even if he wishes he could.”

  


Kashoku opened her mouth to correct Nyda, that this wasn’t about Reeve at all, but she decided against it. It was probably better this way. “I guess it’s just that I know there’s risk in it.”

  


“Oh, well that’s just life, sweetie. There’s risk in everything we do, but failing is also ok, you know? You don’t learn without failing. I’ve had to realize that about my own kids and start letting them make their own decisions no matter how hard it is to let go.”

  


Yeah, except failing in this instance could lead to death or worse - imprisonment in Shinra’s labs. Not much ‘learning’ happening in either of those scenarios. 

  


“Let’s be honest, Reeve is Reeve and won’t ever loosen his hold on you unless you take your own life by the reigns,” she told her. “He can’t even let loose of his own. Is this about the Commander? I don’t think you should be so worried about that. Reeve probably wants you to remain single forever and would dislike anyone you brought home.”

  


Kashoku had no doubt that was an accurate statement, but that was honestly a problem for another day. Maybe Nyda’s logic applied to Kage. Kage also liked to have a real tight hold on the reigns thinking she always knew what was best for Kashoku. Everyone always thought they knew what was best for Kashoku. Maybe it was time for her to take a hold of her own life from everyone. For Kashoku to know what was best for Kashoku.

  


The entire train ride home she thought about. It was easy to just tell herself to do it - to go down to meet Aerith - but actually mustering up the courage was going to be something else entirely. When she returned Cait Sith greeted her happily, having announced proudly that he’d cleaned the apartment. For the record, Kashoku never asked him to do anything like that. He actually enjoyed chores and she certainly wasn’t going to tell him no. She cooked dinner on her own though, needing something to distract her. It didn’t really work and she ended up overcooking the meat. A little extra sauce - a lot - fixed anything.

  


“Bad day at the office?” Cait Sith asked as she cleaned up the dishes.

  


“Not really,” Kashoku answered. She wasn’t going to be able to keep this from Cait Sith. If she was going to travel to the Undercity without Kage or one of the boys, she was definitely going with Cait Sith. “I’m thinking about doing something not you, Daddy, or Kage are going to like very much.”

  


Cait Sith crossed his arms and tapped his foot. “Worse than applying to work with Shinra? Well. What is it, lassie?”

  


Kashoku licked her lips. Cait Sith didn’t know she wasn Ancient, but why not? Although she let him develop his own sense of self, ultimately he was designed to obey her. If she said not to tell anyone he wouldn’t. She needed someone else she could talk to about this.

  


“Well, you see-,,”

  


/*/

  


After a far too short lunch break Kage decided she could not work with this, afterall. Tseng was almost worse than Sephiroth. Actually, he might have been worse. At least after a while Sephiroth broke down and attempted to be a part of the conversation even if it was with one word answers or snarky remarks. Tseng didn’t break down at all but still gave snarky remarks. You couldn’t just take in relationships. You gotta give, too, and Tseng gave absolutely nothing of value during their conversation. The guy couldn’t even answer a simple question of what his favorite color was.

  


_ “The uniform is dictated by the manual, so it is irrelevant what my favorite color is.” _

  


_ “Planet, what, your entire apartment is black and white, too?” _

  


_ “And some variations of grey, yes.” _

  


Even Sephiroth had a favorite color! Purple! He had said even though his mother had died in childbirth, he somehow knew purple was her favorite. How could the General of Shinra’s army have a favorite color and not Tseng? Forgot anything actually personal. Tseng was not only a closed book but one that had a stupid lock on it. She left lunch feeling even worse than she had before which was really becoming a feat.

  


“I’m going to need to punch you now, so let’s head to the training rooms,” Kage told him as they badged back into the building.

  


Tseng raised an eyebrow. “Now? After drinking?”

  


“I think it’s hilarious you think two beers was enough to even give me a buzz, especially with you being such a killjoy the entire time,” Kage huffed. “You should put that on your list of special skills, you know? Instant sobriety.”

  


“I warn you not to take me lightly,” Tseng told her as they entered the training room and shed ties and jackets (well, Tseng shed his tie). 

  


“Yeah, yeah,” Kage told him, pulling at the edge of her fingerless gloves to secure them before balling her fists.

  


Tseng did come to the mat with far better punches than Kage expected, but he was also as boring and predictable as his character. It didn’t take long for her to find a pattern and exploit it. Tseng fought with a very Wutai style that Kage had studied among other martial arts. Problem was, he refused to deviate from it and before long she had him on his back just as promised.

  


“You are far too calculated,” Kage told him as she released her hold and stood, wiping her forehead of sweat. “Allows your enemies to figure out your every move. Sometimes, Tseng, you can’t play by the rules.”

  


Tseng scoffed as he wiped at his busted lip. There was only a small bead of blood, but it would leave a bruise. “Without rules there is no order. Is that not what we are here for? To keep the order?”

  


“Is that what you call it?” Kage snorted. “Department of Administrative Research, Shinra’s Law and Order. Guess it sounds about right. Still. Point stands. Even Turks have to bend the rules to keep the rules.”

  


Tseng stood and grabbed his jacket and tie, tossing them over his forearm. “Forgive me if I find your logic flawed.”

  


Kage shrugged and smiled. “Yeah, well, you wouldn’t be the only one.”

  


Both their phones went off at the same time. It was a message from Veld.

  


Kage snorted. “A mission already?”

  


“Doubtful,” Tseng answered. “We are grounded, remember? He likely gave us time to adjust to the new idea of being partners and now wants to set expectations.”

  


“Time? It’s been four hours.”

  


“Plenty of time,” Tseng responded with a shrug. “I feel like I’ve gotten to know you quite well. Reckless and insensible.”

  


Rolling her eyes Kage snatched up her own jacket and wiped her face with the towel she’d snatched on her way in. Discarding it in the bin on the way out she flung her jacket over a shoulder and headed to the elevators. Not looking forward to two meetings with Veld in a day and tired of trying to get to know Tseng, she kept silent. Talking was too exhausting at this point and she needed to save every last word to argue with whatever Veld was going to throw at them.

  


“I see you two are already getting acquainted,” Veld spoke as they entered, addressing the disheveled looks and Kage’s state of undress. Tseng had put himself back together including the ponytail. Kage hadn’t bothered.

  


“Oh, swimmingly,” Kage answered. “I’ve learned he doesn’t have a favorite color and his fighting style is as predictable as he is.”

  


“It’s going well, then,” Veld smiled, folding his hands in his lap as he leaned back in his oversized leather chair. “Sit. I need to discuss with you both your future assignments.”

  


Kage would have rather not, but she did as he asked and sat, though without the poised grace Tseng did. Her new partner had been right, this was about upcoming missions. She had to admit, she was curious as to what Veld would say.

  


“I must be honest there is a second ulterior motive to putting the two of you together,” Veld started. “Having two Wutai agents during a time of war with Wutai will prove...useful.”

  


Kage wasn’t surprised at that train of thought, but she was surprised it hadn’t come up sooner. “You’ve had me for years, sir. Why wait until you have two?”

  


“Sending one agent into enemy territory is too dangerous,” Veld explained. “Now you have appropriate backup. One that can keep up the charade.”

  


“Right. So if shit goes south for one of us the other can finish the mission.”

  


“And perhaps rescue the other successfully,” Tseng added.

  


“Assuming there’s anything left to rescue,” Kage smiled at him before turning back to Veld. “So, I guess we’re going to be having an all expense paid vacation to Wutai pretty soon.”

  


“One of many,” Veld confirmed. “Though being Wutai is not just useful in Wutai. There are many sympathizers here in Midgar that need to be fleshed out.”

  


Kage wondered if there was a subtle jab at Kashoku there. “Being a sympathizer isn’t illegal.”

  


“No,” Veld agreed, “but there have been whispers of anti-Shinra groups forming in the Undercity.”

  


Great, just what she needed. The second Kashoku caught wind of one she’d likely run off to try and join. Not surprising, though, honestly. Shinra’s presence was strong enough that it had delayed it, but ultimately couldn't stop it. “So we infiltrate these groups and take them out from within. Got it. That all?”

  


“Yes, such a walk in the park,” Tseng scoffed sarcastically.

  


Kage flashed him an equally sarcastic smile. “Where’s your sense of adventure, Tseng? How early do you think we’ll get an assignment?”

  


“No later than the end of the month,” Veld answered. “The sooner the better, but Director Deusericus and I are still working out the details and I want to make sure the two of you are well enough acquainted as partners before sending you out.”

  


‘We’ll be ready,” Tseng assured.

  


As far as Kage was concerned she was ready now. She didn’t need to be all cozy with Tseng to work a job. Director Deusericus, though...that means they’d be working with SOLDIER. They’d be working with the boys. The spark of excitement at working with Angeal again was quickly snuffed out at the realization that Kashoku would be alone. At least one of them had always been around, but all four of them would be in Wutai for at least a couple of weeks. At least she had a valid excuse to tell her no, now. 

  


Still, Kage couldn’t shake the worry that Kashoku might do something stupid while they were all gone.


	4. Chapter 4

**End of February 1999, Midgar**

It was much warmer in the Undercity than Kashoku had expected given the frigid temperatures up above. The plate was a far better insulator than she figured. She wished she had layered better as she pulled up the sleeves of her sweater up to her elbows and stepped onto the train platform looking through the crowd for Aerith. A surprising gust of wind blew past her and she followed where it blew. It led to Aerith who stood out in her brightly colored dress against the muted colors of the other residents. 

“Kashoku! Over here!” Aerith jumped up and down while waving excitedly. 

Smiling, Kashoku jogged over to the bench where she was standing and braced herself last minute as Aerith threw herself at her. Laughing, Kashoku hugged her back. “It’s good to see you, too, Aerith. Your mom really lets you come here alone?”

“Mmhmm,” Aerith smiled with a firm nod. “As long as I promise to go straight to the church and come straight back.”

“The train station is neither of those places, lassie,” Cait Sith pointed out.

Aerith giggled knowingly before winking. “But it’s on the way! Who's your friend?”

“This is Cait Sith,” Kashoku answered. 

“Nice to meet you! I’m Aerith!” Holding out a hand, she greeted him as she would anyone else with no questions as to what he was or where he came from. 

  
Cait Sith shook it proudly. “Likewise, lassie!”

Aerith leaned into Kashoku’s ear, “Does he know?”

“He does,” Kashoku responded, “but he is bound to secrecy. He won’t tell a soul, promise.”

“Ok, then! This way!” Aerith grabbed Kashoku’s hand and charged off towards the alley that led to the church. It wasn’t until they had to duck through the hole in the chain fence did she finally let go of Kashoku’s hand. “Is Kage still ignoring you?”

Kashoku had to stop for a moment to untangle her sweater from where it had caught, but eventually nodded. “Yeah. I really do think she’s busy with something going on at work, but she won’t say. I’ve seen her around Shinra a few times with a Turk that isn’t her partner, so maybe it’s some special kind of case?” It had been very surprising to see Kage with Tseng. So much so she couldn’t pull herself to march up and ask about it like she normally would.

Well, maybe it was the fact Kashoku wanted to avoid Kage just in case. Knowing Kage, she could probably smell that Kashoku was up to no good without saying anything at all about her plans to meet with Aerith. No, it was much better to just observe at a distance. Kage would tell her eventually. Probably.

“It was Maur and Juget that visited me yesterday and not Cissnei,” Aerith told her as they marginally slowed their pace from a jog to a brisk walk. Well, Aerith was more prancing. “I don’t like them. Cissnei is nice. They aren’t. They try and bully me. I guess that’s why they are called the Martial Arts.”

Kashoku recognized the code names. Kage had told her they were the ones typically on Aerith duty. Cissnei must have been relatively newly assigned, probably to try a different approach at convincing her to come in. “Do they hurt you?”

“Oh, no,” Aerith shook her head. “They just stand really tall, get all up in my face, and clench their fists like they might do something.” She stopped long enough to pound a fist into her palm as an example. “Oh, well, Maur may have pulled my braid, once, but Juget yelled at him and I punched him in the leg.”

“Good for you, lassie!” Cait Sith encouraged her.

Kashoku smiled and shook her head. How nice it must have been to not be scared of the Turks. Aerith seemed to have no fear at all, and why would she? Any Turk that hurt her would likely disappear given how important she was to the company. “Don’t get too cocky. They are still Turks.”

“Yeah, but you’re best friends with one,” Aerith pointed out.

“Yes, but believe me when I tell you even our mutual best friends still give me the same warning and reminder,” Kashoku countered. 

Aerith considered her words with a thoughtful hum. She didn’t say anything else as they approached the church, instead running up the steps and pulling open the heavy door with a loud grunt. “Here we are!”

Kashoku followed her in and helped her close the solid wooden door behind them. The church was as it always was, a ray of ‘sunlight’ peeking in through a hole in the ceiling and beaming directly on the flowers. “How do the flowers grow so well here? No rain, no real sunlight.”

Cait Sith kneeled down by a flower and his tail wagged happily. “They are as bright as the ones in Ruvie’s yard!”

“Dunno,” Aerith told her, shuffling one foot against the ground near the edge of the flower bed. “This place….it has a kind of power.”

Well, Kashoku couldn’t doubt that considering how it had been the key to her - well - everything. “It’s what pulled us together.”

Aerith smiled brightly at her. “I’m glad. So! Anything new?”

That dampened Kashoku’s bright spirits a bit, and she shook her head. “Nope. I actually cut myself by accident cooking the other day and tried to heal myself, but no luck.”

“Hmm,” Aerith tapped her lip thoughtfully. “Well, I haven’t turned any monsters into summons, either. I even tried.”

Kashoku’s eyes widened. “You went out and fought monsters?!”

“Alone?!” Cait Sith asked in equal surprise.

“Sure,” Aerith shrugged, “I can fight. If you grow up in the Slums, you kind of have to. Nothing too scary comes around here, though. Maybe that’s why it didn’t work.”

There was a stab of jealousy that ran through Kashoku. It was stupid. She shouldn’t have been jealous, but she was. “I’m not brave. I wish I was, but even when I tried to learn how to fight and use materia, I still ran.” She thought about how she’d run from the monster in the sewers. How if she hadn’t been able to turn it into a summon, she could have very well been dead because of her inability to do something. Kashoku had a big mouth, but she really couldn’t walk the walk. “Kage can take on anything, and the boys are...the boys are First Class SOLDIERs. Then there’s me.”

Aerith’s hand on her arm startled her, and she hadn’t realized how far gone in her thoughts she’d gone. “I think you’re brave. You’re friends with a Turk even though you know she could turn you into Shinra. You are dating a SOLDIER even though you know he could never come back from war. I don’t think I could do either of those things.”

Kashoku sucked in a shuddered breath. “I wouldn’t consider those things brave. Stupid, mostly.”

“We-ll, I don’t think so. Bravery comes in a lot of different forms, right Cait Sith?”

Cait Sith gave a firm nod. “Right!”

“Oh! The cut you got, do you still have it?” Aerith asked, abruptly changing subjects.

Kashoku held out her hand where the healing cut was still present on her palm. “Yeah.”

Aerith grabbed her hand and Kashoku felt her hand grow warm. There was a tingle and she watched in awe as the cut faded away completely as if it had never been there in the first place. “There you go!”

Kashoku retracted her hand and turned it over in surprise. “How-?!”

“Honestly? It just kind of comes naturally,” Aerith told her. “As naturally as speaking with the planet. I wonder why it doesn’t work for you?”

“Maybe you can’t all do the same things,” Cait Sith suggested.

Kashoku’s mouth parted at the suggestion. “Wait a second, that’s it! Maybe Cait is on to something!”

“What do you mean?” Aerith asked, looking for clarification.

“Well, think about it,” Kashoku started, “Even among regular humans who aren’t Cetra, everyone has different abilities. Some people are more athletically gifted, others more artistic. Even SOLDIERs have different strengths. Not everyone is as good with a sword as they are with materia. What if we are the same?”

Aerith tilted her head. “S-o, like, I’m a healer, but you’re a what? You create summons, so...a summoner?”

There was a flash of white in front of Kashoku’s eyes and she saw the white materia. Kashoku blinked away the vision and gave a small nod. That white materia again. Was it another premonition like the feathers? “Yeah, something like that. I mean, maybe neither of us are limited to healing and creating summons, but maybe that’s what we are at the core.”

“Could be,” Aerith agreed. “We can both speak to the planet and we’ve both had some sort of vision, but what else can we both do? You said you didn’t see ghosts.”

“Well, I don’t think I’ve ever been in much of a position to see them,” Kashoku told her. Maybe Kalm, after the destruction, but maybe there’d been too much time between the bombing and her arrival to see any lingering souls. “Healthcare is a bit more readily available Topside, but I was thinking about paying the hospital a visit. If there’s anywhere that would have ghosts, it would be a hospital where people...die.”

“Oh, that’s a good thought!” Aerith nodded before kneeling down to stroke a flower’s petals. “I wonder what other things Cetra can do that we can’t. I guess we’ll never know. Unless...do you think maybe there are others? I mean, our parents had parents, right? Maybe they are still alive somewhere? Or, well, maybe they had brothers and sisters? Someone...anyone…”

Kashoku drew her mouth into a thin line and knelt down beside Aerith. “Anything is possible. Hey, we found each other when we both thought we were the last, right?”

That brightened Aerith’s spirit and she nodded. “You’re right. There’s always hope. Do you think you and Genesis will have babies? Then there’d be more of us!”

Kashoku choked on the air she breathed and had to pat her chest hard. “U-um, that’s, uh, that’s not really in the cards right now.”

“You don’t want kids?” Aerith asked, as if the question weren’t as incredibly awkward as Kashoku felt it was.

Her cheeks burned hot. “Um, well, I mean, someday, sure. We are both way too young to have kids, though, and we’ve both got a lot going on in our lives.”

“Oh, I guess,” Aerith shrugged. “A lot of people in the Undercity have kids pretty young, so I guess that’s just what I’m used to. I want kids for sure someday. You know, when I find the right guy.”

Kashoku let out a small laugh, pushing down her embarrassment. “Well, don’t be in a hurry. I’m sure you’ll find the right guy someday. It’ll be when you aren’t even looking. He’ll fall out of the sky right into your lap.”

“Well, that’s a lot easier than having to go looking for him!” Aerith giggled before launching herself at Kashoku and resting her head against Kashoku’s shoulder. “I’m really glad you came. I’ve been waiting for you for so long.”

Kashoku let her head fall against Aerith’s. She wished more than anything they could be together without having to sneak around. “I’m glad, too.”

“Will you come home with me?” Aerith asked, “My mom’s cooking is the best!”

“Lassie,” Cait Sith looked right at Kashoku, warning her.

Kashoku didn’t need his warning to know. “Aerith, look, we’re already taking a huge risk. Bringing your mom into this would make it even worse.”

“Please!” Aerith whined. “Come on, I told her I met you while you were down here working for Shinra and that I was curious about what you were doing so we became friends. She won’t ask questions!”

“Lassie, that sounds like she’d be asking a lot of questions,” Cait Sith said, hands on his hips.

Kashoku reluctantly agreed. “Maybe she won’t ask Cetra things, but I’m sure she wouldn’t like you being friends with someone from Shinra. I’m sure she already worries a lot about the Turks that come around.”

“Kash!” Aerith pleaded.

She wanted to, desperately, but Kashoku shook her head. “Not yet. Maybe...maybe another time, ok?”

Aerith was very obviously disappointed, but she nodded. “Ok.” Reaching for the stem of a yellow lily she plucked it and then tucked it between the threads of Kashoku’s sweater against her breast. “Yellow lilies represent Reunion. Specifically between lovers. I hope you are reunited with Genesis, soon.”

Kashoku looked down at the flower fondly. “Thank you. Really.”

“Stay? Just a little while longer?” Aerith requested.

Cait Sith shot her a disapproving look, but Kashoku agreed to it anyway. “Of course.”

/*/

Genesis fucking hated the Turks. They were thieves, liars, thugs, and murderers. In the words of Angeal, they had no Honor. Kage was the exception, not the rule, and even she was all of the above things except a thug. Kage was at least classy why she was lying, stealing, and killing. Genesis could respect that at least. But it wasn’t Kage that came to fetch him from the battlefield to return to Shinra. It was some other Turks he didn’t even care to learn the names of. Scarlet had apparently just cooked up a new batch of advanced materia and they wanted Genesis back as soon as possible to train the newest round of recruits. Man, the Turks had been recruiting like crazy lately.

To make matters worse, Angeal had insisted on sending Lieutenant Fair with him. 

“You’re from Banora right?” Zack asked, not even giving Genesis time to respond. “Me? I’m from Gongaga! Really backwater, and super hot, but it’s near the ocean! We’ve got big palm trees and -”

“Do you ever shut up?” Genesis hissed, wishing the sounds of the helicopter blades were louder to drown the kid out.

Zack tilted his head and blinked thoughtfully. “No, not really. Angeal said speaking is a talent of mine. Anyway, so there’s this…”

Genesis slammed the back of his head against the headrest. Angeal very likely didn’t mean it as a compliment, but knowing his best friend he had been too nice to actually say what he meant leaving it up for interpretation. The only thing making the ride to Midgar bearable was the promise of Kashoku on the other side. He’d been able to send her a text that he was coming home. It would be late before they arrived, but he hoped she’d wait up.

They landed on the helicopter pad atop Shinra HQ just after midnight. If Genesis hurried, he could make the last train to Sector 5. Zack tried to hold him up asking all sorts of questions about the upcoming training schedule and expectations. Genesis growled and threw a time and place at him before storming off. He was sure if he looked back the Third would be staring at him with that confused puppy look, but he kept his eyes forward. Somehow, he’d get Angeal back for this.

Later, though.

He made it to the station in enough time to catch an earlier train than he thought and he finally let himself relax as he took a seat. The train was quiet and the only acknowledgment he received were nods of thanks for his service. Thank the Goddess no one wanted to hold an actual conversation. Muscle memory got him to Kashoku’s apartment from the train station and he had to restrain himself from using his key to barge in before knocking. 

It felt like he had barely even knocked on the door before it swung open. Kashoku was standing there with a larger-than-life grin dressed in a silk night dress. After a few seconds of a stare down Kashoku let out a small squeal and jumped up into his arms, legs around his waist. Their lips collided and Genesis somehow managed to drop his bag inside and get the door closed behind them. 

They were usually fairly silent when they had sex, too enthraled in the act, but this time was full of giggles and happy laughs. When they finished they settled back in bed and Genesis held Kashoku tight against him. Two months he’d held nothing more than a photo in his hand as he slept. He’d been away for far longer before - half a year, even - but that was before they were dating. Now, two months felt like eternity. It took forever to fall asleep. He was just so happy to be home and in a real bed. It was hours later, but eventually Kashoku’s soft breaths lulled him to sleep.

The smell of coffee filling his nostrils pulled him back from sleep. Genesis sucked in a breath and stretched his arms over his head keeping his eyes closed as he tried to adjust to being awake again. Mentally he felt rested, but physically he was still tired. He couldn’t have slept that long. Cracking open an eye he turned to look at the clock on the nightstand. It was just after six. Groaning, he called out loud enough where Kashoku could hear him, “Call in sick!”

A few seconds later Kashoku walked in with a coffee mug in each hand. She set one down on the nightstand and placed her now free hand on a hip. “I’m not calling into work! Besides, don’t _you_ have work to do?”

Rolling over, Genesis fluffed the pillow up to prop up his head, clearly having no intentions of getting up. “Not until tomorrow. I needed one day away from Fair.”

“Zack is a sweetheart,” she told him, taking a seat on the edge of the mattress. “You’re just a jerk.”

“And I have never denied it,” Genesis told her. “Come on, when’s the last time you called in sick?”

Kashoku seemed to hesitate at that and she shifted to tuck her left leg beneath her. “I played hookie to hang out with Kage a few months ago.”

“A few months ago!?” Genesis let out an amused huff. “Months! Months, she says, as if that means anytime recent.”

Rolling her eyes Kashoku looked away with an annoyed sigh but he could tell she was considering it. After a moment of contemplation, she relented. “Fine, but you better make it worth it.” She took a sip of her coffee, got to her feet, and then slapped his ass. 

Genesis couldn’t help the possessive growl that escaped him. “Put that coffee down and get into bed.”

Kashoku put the coffee down, but picked up her phone. She flashed him a smirk as her fingers danced across the screen. “One sec. If I don’t send Nyda a text now I’ll forget and start getting calls that would be disruptive.” Five seconds later she set the phone down and crawled into bed, straddling Genesis and rolling him over until she sat firmly in his lap. “You sure you’re not too tired?” She ran her hands up his chest, nails purposely raking over his nipples.

“SOLDIER, remember?” Genesis smirked.

Kashoku hummed and leaned down towards his ear, her hair brushing against his shoulder. “Remind me.”

They went another round and Genesis finally felt relaxed enough to allow Kashoku to wiggle out of his arms. She checked her phone and he watched a blush creep up onto her cheeks. “What? What’s wrong?”

“Nyda totally called my bluff,” Kashoku grimaced. “I guess word got out you arrived back in Midgar.”

Genesis sat up in bed hesitantly. “She...knows?”

Kashoku shrugged. “Nyda is way more observant than my dad, what can I say?”

“Yeah, but what if she tells your dad?” Genesis asked, heart starting to race at the horrifying thought. Reeve would never forgive Genesis for the elevator incident, he was convinced.

“I promise Nyda would be the last person to tell my dad,” Kashoku promised him, pulling down her nightgown and grabbing her now cold mug of coffee. “Breakfast?”

“You sure you want to cook? We can go out,” Genesis suggested.

“Not all of us are inept in the kitchen,” Kashoku told him. “I’ll cook. Shower is yours if you want.”

Genesis hummed and she returned to the kitchen. Cracking his neck he finally rolled over and leaned down over the edge of the bed to grab for his clothes. Something fell to the ground with a clank and he retracted his hand full of his clothes. It was Kashoku’s pendant. They must have knocked it off during their very passionate sex. Dropping his clothes on the bed he reached down and grabbed the pendant.

A wave of power shot up his palm up his arm and to his chest.

It was enough of a shock to make Genesis drop it back onto the ground. He blinked and let out a breath, finally realizing what had just happened. Materia. There was materia inside of the pendant, and not just any materia. Quickly scooping it back up he cracked the spherical pendant open to reveal a glowing red orb.

_How in the Goddess’ name did she get this?!_

Throwing back the covers Genesis sprung to his feet, completely ignoring putting on any clothes as he stormed into the kitchen. “Where did you get this!?”

“Hmm?” Kashoku turned around and then her eyes went wide. She dropped the wooden spoon she’d been holding onto the counter. Genesis could see the flash of panic in her eyes. 

“Where. Did you get this?” Genesis repeated, voice lowering in a panicked warning. 

Kashoku licked her lips and swallowed hard. “Kage. Kage gave it to me.”

_“Kage?”_ Genesis asked in disbelief. “Kage gave _you_ a summon materia? She gave you a summon materia instead of me?”

With a clenched jaw, Kashoku’s face hardened. “Don’t you think you have enough summons? Kage knows I’ve been doing really well with my other materia and -,”

“Kash, this is a summon!” Genesis clenched his fist so hard around the materia it would break anything else. He was angry. Furious, even. “Do you even have any idea what it is? What it can do? What if you had summoned it unprepared and gotten hurt? Hurt other people? This isn’t some other basic materia you can play with!”

“I know that!” Kashoku fired back with dark eyes. “Kage knows that, too, but maybe she just has more faith in me than you do to take care of it! I’ve had it for months and nothing bad has happened! Why can’t you just trust me!?”

“Because you aren’t a soldier, Kash!” Genesis told her. “You don’t fight! You have had basically zero training on any sort of combat! Goddess, Kash, you couldn’t even hold a sword properly if I gave you one!”

It came out harsh, and he could tell by the look on Kashoku’s face that maybe it had come out too harsh, but he was scared. Terrified, even. 

“Thank you for the wonderful reminder that I’m completely helpless,” Kashoku huffed with shaky words. 

“You’re not-,” Genesis sighed and ran an irritated hand through his messy hair. “You're not helpless. You picked up that ice materia quicker than anyone I know. You’re just...inexperienced.”

With a hard swallow and a small sniff Kashoku shrugged. “I don’t really think a sword suits me, anyway.”

Genesis smiled, trying to not seem so angry. He wasn’t pissed at her so much as he was pissed at Kage over all of this. “I don’t think so, either. Something smaller, maybe.”

Rolling her eyes Kashoku wiped at an eye. “Doesn’t matter. You won’t train me anyway.”

Closing his eyes, Genesis let out a heavy sigh. Maybe this really was his fault deep down. He had been explosive towards her when she’d asked about summons the last time, so maybe he was the one to blame ultimately. “Ok. Ok...we’re going to go find a training room and we are going to figure out what this thing is.”

“Really?” Kashoku asked hopefully.

“Yeah. Prove to me you can control it and I’ll let you keep it.”

“Ok,” Kashoku agreed before picking up the dropped spoon and stabbing it in his direction. “If I’m going to be summoning a monster that could potentially destroy all of Midgar, I’m eating first.”

Genesis couldn’t agree more.

The entire train ride Genesis struggled with not looking like he wanted to burn down a building. Goddess, he was beyond furious at Kage for this. Kage knew better than to just hand over a summon to Kashoku. At the very least, if she really wanted Kashoku to have it, she would have had Genesis vet it first to make sure it was something she could handle. Kashoku was still convinced he was mad at her, which is why she had brought a long Cait Sith. As annoyed at that as he was, Genesis understood. Cait Sith was her fail safe. Her guard to make sure he didn’t do anything stupid in his irritation. 

“Have you tried summoning it?” Genesis asked as the virtual world took shape around them.

Kashoku shook her head. “No. I remember your story about Ifrit and the apartment building. I’ve refrained.”

Well, at least there was that. “Ok, so getting a summon to come out is a bit different than normal materia. Obviously. Hold the materia in your hand and ask the summon to come to your aid. If, and only if, they deem you worthy of their time, will they reveal their name and image to you.”

Holding out her hand Genesis dropped the materia in her palm and she nodded. “Right. Got it. Ok.” Sucking in a breath she shifted her weight a few times before settling and closing her eyes. 

Genesis watched her curiously, waiting for some sort of reaction. Time seemed to slow and he grew impatient, sharing looks with Cait Sith. It really hadn’t been all that long, but he was ready to call it quits and then Kashoku’s eyes shot open with a gasp. “Did it answer your call?”

Kashoku was silent for a moment, turning the orb in her hand over several times. “Carbuncle. It’s name is Carbuncle. It’s...all I see is a ruby light.”

“A ruby light? Hmm,” Genesis stroked his chin thoughtfully and then settled on it. He snapped his fingers and an army of monsters materialized into the environment, all surrounding Kashoku.

A low and nervous laugh left Kashoku’s lips and she started to back up. She easily forgot that this wasn’t real and he could see her tense up in fear. “Genesis, what are you doing?”

“Summon it,” he told her simply. “Come on. Prove to me you deserve this.”

“It’s not real, lassie!” Cait Sith tried to remind her, but she didn’t process it.

Kashoku whimpered as she folded her hands together in front of her like a prayer. Genesis eyed the largest monster and nodded his head towards Kashoku. It obeyed his command and launched at the small woman making her cry out and raise her hands over her head in a shield.

A bright blue light erupted from Kashoku’s hand and ancient symbols formed a moving circle in the air. A high-pitched squeal echoed off the walls and then a small silvery form erupted from the summoning circle. It landed on the ground and gave a shake. 

A puppy. It was a freaking wolf-like puppy with a giant red ruby gem on its forehead. Genesis almost choked on his laughter. What the hell was that thing? Was this some sort of joke? Maybe this was Shinra’s attempt at creating a summon gone terribly wrong. Is that how Kage had gotten it? Stolen it from the labs?

Kashoku was equally as shocked as she lowered her arms. “That’s...that’s it?! _That’s_ my summon!?”

Carbuncle cooed proudly at her, the gem glowing. 

“Well, I guess you were worried about absolutely nothing,” Kashoku huffed, now clearly the angry one as Genesis still tried so hard not to laugh. 

For fun, Genesis had the large behemoth lunge at her expecting nothing at all.

The second the behemoth was in the air, Carbuncle suddenly lowered his stance with an angry cry and then jumped up into the air and did a spin before he levitated and the ruby gem shined with such a light it made Genesis cover his eyes. Somehow managing to crack a single eye open Genesis watched as a shield raised around Kashoku and the behemoth was unable to penetrate it. 

The light dimmed and Genesis’ mouth dropped in shock. Despite his best effort, the behemoth could not reach Kashoku.

Kashoku carefully cracked her own eye open and lowered her defensive arms. “Wait...what’s happening?”

“It cast manawall on you,” Cait Sith answered in equal surprise. “A powerful protection spell against physical and magical attacks.”

Genesis watched on as the behemoth tried to break through but couldn’t reach Kashoku. “I’ve never seen anything like it. A defensive summon. A _protective_ summon.” Maybe Kage had been right to give it to Kashoku afterall. Had she known what it was? No...how could she? She was inept with materia. But still…

Kashoku reached up and touched the barrier curiously. It rippled around her touch. “So...it makes me invincible.”

“For a limited time,” Cait Sith pointed out.

Genesis snapped away all the monsters and crossed his arms. “Ok. You can keep it.” He was still furious at Kage, but a summon that actively protected it’s caster? He was all for it being in Kashoku’s possession.

Kashoku frowned as Carbuncle flashed her a smile and then disappeared in a flash of ruby light. “It’s so...unimpressive.”

Genesis let out a snort. “Well, yeah, it’s no Bahamut or Ifrit, that’s for sure, but it’s not completely useless. I’ve never heard of a summon like this.” Kashoku looked like she was thinking hard and he waited for her to say something, but she didn’t. It was slightly frustrating. “I thought you’d be glad I’d let you keep it.”

“Yeah,” Kashoku responded, though hardly convincing. “I guess...I messed up, somehow.” 

“Huh? Kash?” He asked, confused by what she was saying.

Kashoku just shook her head and smiled. “Guess now we know, huh?”

Genesis couldn’t help but feel disappointed, even if he really couldn’t pinpoint why. Was he disappointed that the summon wasn’t what he’d thought, or disappointed that Kashoku was clearly disappointed? “Yeah...guess now we know.”

He couldn’t shake there was something more than this going on.

/*/

Kage had about all she could take of Tseng for the week so when she caught wind that Genesis had returned she made a point to get a hold of his training schedule so she could drop in. Genesis was solidly at the bottom of her list when it came to three, and she’d say that to his face, but it was still better than Tseng. At least with Genesis she could hold conversation. She’d been a little surprised Kashoku hadn’t said anything, until she realized they’d probably been too busy fucking to turn on a phone. 

“Yo,” Kage greeted him as he entered the viewing booth that looked out over the largest training room in the building. 

Genesis let out a loud curse as he spun around to find Kage lurking in the shadows grinning at him. “Goddess, Kage! Does scaring people get you off?”

“Oh yeah,” Kage answered, “along with bondage and blood play. You?”

“Neither,” Genesis answered and then rethought that. “Well, the first one. Not the second.”

“Good, because if you ever put a knife against Kashoku’s skin I’ll kill you,” Kage told him, joining him by the large pane of glass and patting his shoulder.

Genesis raised a brow at her. “What if she likes it?”

She probably would if her one encounter with Rufus said anything. “Point still stands. How long you here for? And wait, is that Zack?”

“Fuck if I know, and,” he grunted unhappily, “yeah, it’s Fair.”

Zack was excitedly talking to the other SOLDIERs, all who were looking at him with bright and glowing mako eyes even though he shared their rank. Apparently, earning a spot under Angeal put him on some sort of pedestal. Kage let out an amused huff. “Sure that just really eats at you, doesn’t it? First Sephiroth, now Zack-,”

“Shut up,” Genesis growled. That got under his skin just as much as she figured it would. “Fair doesn’t even have one fan club let alone two.”

Kage shrugged and winked. “Yet.” 

“Why are you even here?” Genesis asked.

Feigning a gasp, Kage placed an insulted hand against her heart. “What, a friend can’t visit a friend?” 

“Turks don’t usually pay social visits to people while still in uniform,” Genesis pointed out.

Well, that was actually a valid point. The only time she’d hung out around them in uniform was when it was clearly after hours and she just couldn’t be bothered to waste time going home to change. “I’m grounded right now and I’m bored as fuck.”

Genesis raised an eyebrow, “What did you do?”

“Nothing,” Kage said a little too quickly before sighing. “Absolutely nothing, and that’s the problem.”

“I won’t even pretend to understand that,” Genesis told her before clenching his jaw and sparing her several side glances. 

He clearly had something he wanted to say, but he was second guessing it. He was mad about something. Kage gave him a minute and then eventually let out a heavy sigh of irritation. “Spit it out, what’s eating at you?”

Genesis licked his lips and then turned to face Kage head on, bright eyes going dark. “Why did you give Kashoku a summon materia?”

Thank the Planet she had all the training in the world to keep a straight face at that question. _Fucking hell, Kashoku._ “I dunno, why are you so upset about it?”

“You know why I’m upset!” Genesis fired back. “Summons are dangerous!”

Kage sighed and crossed her arms. Maybe it should have been adorable that he was being so protective, but it only annoyed her. “Not everyone burns down entire apartment buildings with their summons, Genesis. I trusted she could handle it.”

“Do you even know what it is?” He asked, stepping into her space in some crazy attempt to intimidate her.

She stayed right where she was. “You know I don’t, but I’m guessing you do, now. So, what is it? Did you take it from her? Because you better fucking give it to me right now if you did.”

Genesis looked down at her and scoffed before turning back to look down at the training room. “No, I didn’t take it from her. She handled it just fine.”

Kage flashed a smile. No surprise, she had faith that an Ancient could handle a summon just fine. Kashoku had created it, afterall. “Uh-huh. So? What was it? I know you took her to find out.”

“Yeah, well, hard to not control something this fucking big,” Genesis held out his hands no wider than his own shoulders. “It was a puppy. Literally.”

“Seriously?” Kage asked, honestly surprised. It had been some wolf thing that had attacked Kashoku, right? In theory, shouldn’t it have been something like that? “Puppy as in...like a small wolf or…?”

Genesis scoffed. “Yeah, sure, a wolf cub, maybe. A silver puppy with a giant red ruby on its forehead. It was -,” he stopped suddenly.

Kage tilted her head. “What?”

“It was...I’ve never seen anything like it,” Genesis confessed. “I mean, not just in the fact it looked like some child’s toy, but in the fact it was a completely defensive summon.”

Kage didn’t know much about summons, but what she did know was that they all were described as wonders that could level cities under the right circumstances. “What do you mean by that?”

“It literally cast a whole bunch of defensive spells on her,” Genesis explained. “I called up a behemoth in the training room and not even that thing could penetrate the barrier.”

Really? Well, now that was something. Huh. “So, you’re saying I gave Kashoku a summon that could help protect her when the rest of us can’t. Sounds like I did a good deed, if you ask me.”’

Genesis didn’t seem to agree by the look on his face. “Next time you find a summon out on your missions, I’d appreciate it if you’d at least give it to me to vet before handing it over to Kash. She’s not like us, Kage. She’s not a warrior.”

“Yeah, well, you’re right about one of those,” Kage mumbled softly. If Genesis heard her, he didn’t comment. Boy, did she need to have a fucking chat with Kashoku about all of this. “Drinks later?”

“Yeah,” Genesis answered simply, as if he hadn’t just screamed at her minutes before.

Kage pushed off the edge of the control panel that let them communicate with the room below and gave his back a harder than usual pat. “You have fun. Maybe smile a little. I hear it’s good for you.”

Genesis just grunted.

“Carefull, or I’ll invite Zack out with us,” Kage poked the bear just one step further. The look she received back said she’d gone one step too far, but she flashed him a grin. “Someone didn’t get their beauty sleep last night. Wonder why. Anyways, later.” She’d bugged him enough for one go. Plus, she now had a new target in sight. Kashoku was going to hear it. Bad.

Typically, Kage tried to stay away from showing up in Kashoku’s actual office because it started rumors and scared the shit out of everyone in the room, but she was too pissed off to care. Showing Genesis the summon had been the absolute biggest thing she’d told her not to do. Angeal would have been concerned, but would trust Kage’s judgement. Sephiroth would have just raised a curious eyebrow. Genesis, though. Genesis would ask all the questions. 

All eyes looked to her the second she opened the door to the office. Nyda, recognizing her, cleared her throat. “Kashoku isn’t here at the moment.”

Kashoku’s seat was, in fact, empty. “Where is she then?”

Nyda hesitated, swallowing hard and twirling her pen in her fingers. “Why?”

“She’s not in trouble,” Kage promised her. Kashoku was in big trouble, but not Turk trouble, and that’s what Nyda was asking.

The woman still paused before answering. Kage couldn’t blame her for not trusting her. She wouldn’t trust her, for sure. “She’s in the library. You’ll find her wherever books on water filtration and purification are.”

“Thanks,” Kage flashed her a smile in an attempt to be somewhat nice, but she could read the room. They just wanted her gone.

It took way too long for Kage to find Kashoku in the expansive library, refusing to pull up the library search on the many kiosks laid out on the floors. She was way too prideful to be caught dead looking anything up in the library. Already it made her skin crawl being in here. Kashoku was sitting on her feet on the floor, heels discarded off to the side, with books haphazardly scattered around her. Both she and Cait Sith were reading a book. 

Kage leaned against the railing waiting for Kashoku to acknowledge her, but she didn’t. “You know, I can count on one hand how many books I’ve read.”

“Well, that just goes to show how uncultured you are,” Kashoku told her without even looking up. “Congratulations.”

Kage pushed off the railing with her hip and squatted down so Kashoku was forced to look at her. “Don’t get mouthy with me after what you’ve done.”

Kashoku stopped mid page turn and large brown eyes went wide. Kage could practically feel the younger woman’s heart race. Slowly, Kashoku lowered her book into her lap. “Kage, I-,”

“I told you not to tell Genesis about the damn materia,” Kage hissed, keeping her voice low. “Why don’t you fucking listen to me?!”

Breaking Kage’s gaze, Kashoku looked away in surprise. Kage narrowed her eyes. Wait. She hadn’t been expecting that to be what she was mad at. Clearing her throat, Kashoku seemed to relax. “For the record, I didn’t tell Genesis anything. I accidentally left it on the nightstand and he picked it up.”

“Was that before or after you two went at it like rabbits?” Kage huffed.

“After,” Kashoku answered without missing a beat. “It wasn’t anything impressive, by the way, so don’t get all up in arms about it.”

Kage leaned in enough to make Kashoku actually flinch back. “I don’t care that it was a puppy, Kash, I care that you didn’t do as I told you and now it has Genesis asking questions he shouldn’t. But what’s more concerning is that’s not what you thought I was going to yell at you about. What else have you done?”

“Nothing,” Kashoku answered a little too quickly.

Huffing, Kage looked to Cait Sith. “Cait Sith, what is she hiding?”

Cait Sith shook his head wildly. “Sorry, lassie, I don’t take orders from you.”

“I don’t have to tell you everything, you know!” Kashoku spat out angrily and defensively. “Despite what Director Veld may think, you are not my keeper!”

Kage scoffed irritably and stood back up. That bitch was totally hiding something. Something that would likely piss her off way more than the summon materia had. “That’s right, you don’t have to tell me everything, because I’ll just find it all out anyway.”

“Stop acting like there is anything to find out at all!” Kashoku tried to deflect. Poorly.

Now that Kage knew something was up, she’d be looking with more open eyes. “All I need is time. By the way, drinks tonight with Genesis.”

Kashoku let out an offended shriek. “Are you for real? You waltz in here to threaten me and now you want to invite me out for drinks?”

“Lunar Curtain, 9 o’clock,” Kage told her before turning around to walk off. She heard Kashoku mumble ‘fine’ and smirked to herself in silent satisfaction. 

Kashoku and Genesis arrived a perfect ten minutes apart to Lunar Curtain. It was so obviously planned that Kage had to hold in her laugh. They were awful. She fully had expected them to arrive together spending every second to spare inside one another. Actually, she fully expected them to bail completely, especially after the day she’d given both of them. Genesis looked like he’d had a miserable time of it, though, and probably needed to drink more than he needed to fuck. 

“These new recruits are fucking idiots,” Genesis whined over a double bourbon on the rocks. “Are you Turks going for quantity over quality? Because it feels like it.”

Kage shrugged. She had never personally recruited any SOLDIERs, but, “We are at war, Genesis. Sometimes numbers play a part.”

“Recruit more SOLDIERs like Zack!” Kashoku suggested proudly.

Genesis immediately protested. _“Don’t_ recruit more SOLDIERs like Zack!”

“You really hold on to grudges, don’t you?” Kashoku huffed in annoyance before taking a sip of her martini.

Genesis turned to face Kashoku and leaned in, like Kage wasn’t even there. “Uh, have you conveniently forgotten he let you get hurt down in the sewers? You ended up in the infirmary!”

Ah, yes. Genesis and Kashoku fighting. This was normal. This made sense. Kage sipped her drink as she listened to them argue over Zack of all people. In most cases, Kage would really question trusting anyone who hated Zack. The kid was everything SOLDIER embodied, just like Angeal. Genesis’ grudge was acceptable, though, only because it was over Kashoku. 

Except...for some reason….she questioned Genesis. Something deep down in her did tell her not to trust Genesis, but she didn’t know why. Was it because he was almost closer to Kashoku than she was these days? Or was it something else…? Genesis was her friend. Why did she suddenly feel this way? Or had she always felt this way and it was just coming to light?

_Did it have something to do with Kashoku’s visions?_

“Kage?”

Kage blinked and turned toward Kashoku who was looking at her with heavy concern. 

“Are you ok?” Kashoku asked with a frown.

“Yeah, sorry, I’ve just learned to tune you two out once you go at it,” Kage answered easily. “You done?”

Kashoku rolled her eyes and Genesis grunted as he took a sip. “You need a good dicking, Kage.”

Fuck, she couldn’t agree more. “What, no invite to join you two?”

“I’d be down-,” Kashoku started before Genesis elbowed her hard. After firing him a glare she smiled at Kage. “Maybe Angeal will be back soon!”

Kage snorted into her drink. Didn’t matter even if he was, nothing was going to happen. She’d probably have better luck fucking Tseng. Well. No, nevermind, probably not. They were both equally as challenging just in very different ways. Maybe she’d call up Rude later. 

She did call up Rude later. It helped, and she obviously wasn’t the only one that needed a good dicking after dealing with a frustrating partner. Kage wondered if the bets had started on when Reno would succeed in getting inside Rude’s pants. She wanted in on that pool. 

At the very least, there was hope that Veld was finally going to pull their temporary grounding when he called her and Tseng into his office. She was getting dangerously bored and she had clearly spooked Kashoku over whatever it was she was hiding so it was going to take more than just following her around to figure out what was going on. Planet, Kashoku was _boring._

“I have your first assignment as partners,” Veld announced after the door closed behind them.

“Finally,” Kage breathed a sigh of relief, ready to be back out in the field. 

Even Tseng’s body posture suggested he felt the same way. All work, no play. “What’s the mission, sir?”

“We apprehended a Wutai prisoner, one of their commanders,” Veld began. “Physical torture has proved to be mostly futal, as is suspected with a military leader, so we are going to try a different approach.”

Kage opened her mouth to say something sarcastic, but she figured now was probably not the time just before she let the smartass comment leave her. 

Veld raised an eyebrow, waiting for it, but Kage sealed her lips shut. “Tseng will pretend to be a Wutai prisoner and join Commander Fujin in his cell. Gain his trust.”

Ok, Kage couldn’t stifle her cough at that. “Uh, Tseng, sir? You’re sending Tseng in undercover?” She was far more experienced in this sort of thing than he was!

“The Wutai have no women warriors. Just who, exactly, would you be impersonating? No one of interest to Shinra,” Tseng pointed out bluntly.

That actually wasn't true at all. Wutai had female warriors, but they were less on the front lines and those that were wore the same heavy armor making it hard to tell anyway. "There are no female warriors that are high profile, true. What is it we are trying to get out of him?”

“Anything you can manage. Troop size, position, planned attacks, weapon plans.”

So, the usual. Shouldn’t be too hard, even for a rookie. “And my role, sir?”

“Well, someone has to make sure Tseng looks like a proper prisoner,” Veld answered.

Oh. _Oh!_ Kage looked at Tseng and grinned. This was going to be fun after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you SOOOO much as always for reading and commenting. I love each and every one of you <3


	5. Chapter 5

**March 1999, Midgar**

  


Kage cracked her knuckles as she watched and listened to the screen in front of her. She had wiped the blood off, but she’d hit hard enough it had left her hands feeling a little sore. If she hadn’t been wearing her gloves she likely would have had missing chunks of skin on her knuckles. Maybe she could have pulled back on a few of those punches, but where would have been the fun in that? Tseng looked very convincing in the cell with Commander Fujin. 

  


Hell, Tseng was more than convincing. He hadn’t been lying when he said he was up-to-date on his Wutai knowledge. Not only did he have a convincing back story, but he had a convincing everything in between. He must have read every single SOLDIER report. Kage couldn’t even fathom how boring that must have been, even if it had turned out useful. Not only was Tseng ‘Hsiu’ from an eastern fishing village, but he served under Captain Win who had served under Commander Kaji who was very good friends with Fujin. He’d perfectly crafted it, and Fujin believed him. Kage had fully expected it would take a few months or so to fully gain enough trust from Commander Fujin, but they may get valuable information in half that time.

  


The door to the surveillance room opened and Kage looked over her shoulder. It was Ruluf. Eyebrows shooting up in surprise, Kage straightened where she’d been hunched over. “Hey.”

  


Ruluf closed the door behind him and walked up towards Kage’s side. He didn’t look at her, but instead focused on Tseng and Fujin on the screen. “He looks like he fits right in in that cell.”

  


“Courtesy of yours truly,” Kage told him proudly, though giving him a questioning glance. “What are you doing here?”

  


Ruluf didn’t answer her question, but instead threw another one at her. “Would you have hit as hard if it were me in there?”

  


Ah. So that’s what this was about. Kage had talked to Ruluf after her new partnership with Tseng had been announced, but he hadn’t come away feeling any less angry. Sucking in a deep breath Kage crossed her arms and propped up a boot on the console. “Well, you would never be in there to begin with. You may have black hair but you don’t look Wutai in the slightest. It would be me in there, so the question is would you hit me that hard?”

  


“I’d hit you so hard Commander Fujin would actually believe you to be a man,” Ruluf promised her.

  


Kage smirked happily and then squeezed her breasts together. “Too bad no amount of punches could hide these babies.”

  


That finally got Ruluf to crack a smile. “I wish we were in a situation where we had to figure that out.”

  


“I know. Me too,” Kage told him, and she meant it. She and Rude worked great together, but she knew she and Ruluf would have been, too. It sucked they’d never get to find out how well they’d work together. “You just here to keep me company?”

  


Ruluf shrugged. “If you don’t mind.”

  


“I could use it, actually. Been in here for three hours and getting bored as fuck,” Kage told him. 

  


“Has Fujin given up anything of use?” Ruluf asked.

  


Kage shook her head. “Not yet, but Tseng hasn’t really started prying, either. If there is one thing I’ve learned about Tseng in our short time together is that he doesn’t mind being patient. It’s mostly annoying, but here it’s really useful.”

  


“You’re saying he could go at this for months if he had to?” Ruluf asked curiously.

  


Biting her lower lip, she realized that her answer was an easy yes, and that brought out a whole new set of emotions about Tseng. Turks, by nature, weren’t patient creatures. Rude was likely the only exception, but he’d be no good at taking on a persona like this. Tseng could become someone else and then sit and wait. It didn’t matter that Kage beat him to a pulp every few days. He flinched it off and then immediately went back to work the second he crossed the threshold into that cell. A Turk that could be patient was dangerous. Tseng was dangerous. Much more than Kage ever thought he could be at the beginning. Veld knew exactly what he was doing.

  


“Maybe,” was the answer she gave Ruluf. 

  


Ruluf stayed and kept her company for another hour. As they had all predicted, Fujin had responded to having someone else in the cell. The Wutai were notorious for developing close familial and clan bonds. Fujin didn’t care if he was tortured, but he’d start to care if ‘Hsiu’ was. It was almost laughable. Most of Midgar’s higher ups wouldn’t give two shits about anyone if it meant saving their skin. It made her contemplate what the boys would do, though. 

  


Angeal would break the easiest. It probably wouldn’t take much torturing of some innocent to get him to cave. Kage smiled at the thought of it. The largest man out of the three but with the softest and kindest heart. Genesis wouldn’t balk at someone else getting hurt unless it was someone he really cared about, and that list was incredibly small. Basically, their inner circle, and only their inner circle. Even then, there were levels. Kashoku would make him break the quickest. She and Angeal would get him to break eventually, but he knew they could take the torture for a while. Genesis would probably just enjoy Sephiroth being tortured on his behalf. Then there was Sephiroth. Sephiroth, Kage thought, wouldn’t break for anyone or anything. If it were one of their friend group on the other end, he’d be regretful, but he wouldn’t give up a damn thing.

  


_ Wouldn’t you be the same, though? Duty to the mission. _

  


Now annoyed with herself for even thinking about it, she decided now was a good time to take ‘Hsiu’ away for some torturing. Ruluf finally left and she cracked her neck before barging into the cell. “You ready to talk yet?”

  


Fujin huffed and closed his eyes. 

  


“Fantastic.” Kage marched right up to Tseng and roughly grabbed his hair. She didn’t even give him time to stand, she just started to drag him across the floor towards the door. Fujin didn’t say anything, but his expression said it all. They’d have him, soon. Flinging Tseng into the hall the door slid shut behind her. “Nice job. He’s cracking.”

  


Tseng winced and let out a grunt as he slowly got to his feet. Despite offering him real food and water behind closed doors, he’d rejected most of it to stay authentic. It had only been a couple of weeks, but Kage could already tell he’d gotten thinner. “I believe I can start prying for information if I come back looking exceptionally defeated.”

  


“Excellent. What’s your poison?” Kage asked with a grin, pulling out her switchblade and starting to play with it. 

  


Tseng touched a large bruise on his face and winced. “Perhaps waterboarding.”

  


“Boo,” Kage responded in dissatisfaction. That meant no fun on her part other than dunking his head underwater to give the impression. “Maybe I should for real waterboard you infront of Fujin. You know, for good measure.”

  


“I don’t think we are there yet,” Tseng argued.

  


Kage hummed thoughtfully, “You sure? Sounds to me you are scared. Waterboarding isn’t the worst torture I’ve been through, promise.”

  


Tseng sucked in an annoyed breath.

  


Rolling her eyes, Kage sighed. “Alright, fine. You really are a joykill, you know?

  


“So you’ve said. Multiple times,” Tseng acknowledged.

  


“Well, just saying it once more for good measure. Let’s go dunk you underwater, then, the non-fun way.”

  


“I could perhaps use some real water,” he confessed, much to her surprise.

  


“Wow, Tseng, you breaking, too?” Kage teased before huffing. “Alright, come on, let’s get you hydrated.”

  


“You are taking great joy in this,” Tseng observed as they walked down the hall.

  


Kage shrugged innocently. “May-be.”

  


Raising his chin, Tseng brushed past her. “I will remember.”

  


The underlying threat was not lost on Kage and she licked her lips before huffing in amusement. “I’m sure you will, Tseng. Can’t wait.”

  


/*/

  


“Um, hi,” Kashoku greeted the reception nurse. “I have some flowers for delivery. Not for anyone specific, I’ve just been growing them and wanted to bring them to brighten the room of some of your patients.”

  


The nurse didn’t seem to want to pay her any mind until she actually caught a glimpse of the basket full of flowers hanging from Kashoku’s arm. “You-wow! You grew those? Here? In Midgar?”

  


“Mmhmm,” Kashoku smiled and nodded before hurriedly changing the subject. “So, is there anyone I can deliver them to?”

  


“Oh, um, yeah,” the nurse reached over her desk to a pile of medical files and started shuffling through them while writing down room numbers on a notepad. Once finished she pulled the page off and handed it to Kashoku. “These patients could really use some light. Can I see your ID?”

  


“Oh, right,” she pulled out her Shinra badge that doubled as her ID card. 

  


The nurse took it in surprise and placed it in the scanner. “Shinra, huh? Don’t really get many of you around here, especially not to distribute flowers.”

  


“I’m um, with UD,” Kashoku told her, as if that explained everything.

  


Apparently, it did, and she nodded in understanding as she handed Kashoku her badge back. “Well, please, come by anytime you have flowers.”

“Of course,” Kashoku promised, taking her badge back and looking at the room numbers on the pad. Usually, she wouldn’t have flowers blooming until spring, but her ‘awakening’ with Aerith had changed many things, Ruvie’s garden included. Kashoku had also planted roses, but they weren’t quite ready yet. Maybe after Genesis’ next trip to Wutai they’d be in full bloom.

  


The first room on her list was 204 - Mazy Treeman. Giving the doorframe a knock she stepped in and held back a gasp. It was a small girl, maybe five or six? She was hooked up to multiple IVs and monitors and she looked extremely ill. It must have been her mother by her side with dark bags under her red eyes.

  


“Who are you?” The mother asked.

  


“Are those flowers?” The girl asked, green eyes going wide as she struggled to sit up in the bed. “I’ve never seen real ones before!”

  


Kashoku smiled and approached the bed. “They are! I’m Kashoku, your local flower girl. I’ve come to bring these to you. Which ones are your favorite?”

  


Mazy hummed, thinking it over, before pointing to the pink tulip. “That one! And, that one!” The pink dahlia. 

  


Reaching into her basket, Kashoku pulled out a tulip and a dahlia and held it out to Mazy. “All yours!”

  


A light seemed to return to Mazy’s eyes as she took the flowers from Kashoku and breathed them in. “They’ll need water, won’t they?”

  


“They will,” Kashoku confirmed. “I’m sure the nurse can help find you something to put them in.”

  


“Thank you,” her mother breathed, tears forming in her eyes. “Thank you so much.”

  


Kashoku felt her heart constrict. What was wrong with Mazy, she wondered? It would be wildly inappropriate to ask, no matter how curious she was. “Are there other flowers that you like, Mazy?”

  


Mazy shrugged sadly. “I don’t really know. I’ve never seen enough flowers to know, I guess.”

  


“Well, what’s your favorite color?” Kashoku tried instead. “Pink?” It was a decent guess based on her decision from the basket.

  


With a broad smile Mazy nodded. “Yeah! I love pink!”

  


“Ok, then,” Kashoku giggled, reaching back into her basket and pulling out another pink tulip just for good measure. “I’ll bring more pink flowers next time.”

  


“You’ll come back?” The mother asked skeptically.

  


Kashoku thought about it and wondered. She’d initially come in here just to test out Aerith’s theory, but only one patient in and she was wanting to return. To make this something she did regularly. If she could bring a smile to their faces with flowers, she wanted to do it. “Well, this is kind of a trial run, you could say. It’s my first time bringing flowers to patients, but, if you tell your nurse that you want me back, I’d love to return.”

  


“Will you visit a patient in room 228?” Mazy asked hesitantly.

  


Looking down at her list she checked for that room. It was there listed with the name Regi Carn. “It looks like that room is on my list, why?”

  


“Regi is my friend,” Mazy told Kashoku. “He’s been in here with me about as long as I have.” She looked down at her hands which had dropped in her lap, flowers laid across, and began to play with the blanket nervously. “His favorite color is blue.”

  


Kashoku looked down at her basket. Blue was absent, but she had purple. “Hmm, I don’t have blue, but this is close? Do you think he’d like it?” She pulled out an iris.

  


Mazy nodded happily. “Yeah, I think so.”

  


Tucking it back into her basket Kashoku smiled at her. “Ok, then. I’ll bring it to him.”

  


“Will you tell him Mazy says hi?” She asked hopefully.

  


“You bet,” Kashoku promised. “Feel better, ok?!”

  


“Mmhmm!” Mazy hummed happily. “Until next time?”

  


Kashoku winked. “It’s a date!”

  


Kashoku visited Regi, Miles, Trilla, and Ms. Hopker, but at no point did she see any ghosts. Well, she didn’t think she had seen any ghosts. What did ghosts look like, anyways? Would she know they were ghosts? Or would it take her walking through one of them to realize what they were? Well, it didn’t matter. The fact that she had made so many people happy today was enough. She wanted to do this more often. 

  


The last room and name on her list was 421 and one Mr. Sal Hedge. Reaching up to give the open door a knock she paused. An old woman was hunched over the bed crying with an elderly man standing over her, a hand on her back. Kashoku noticed that all the monitors and lines had been removed from him. Mr. Hedge was dead. Heart dropping in sorrow, Kashoku took a step back to leave.

  


A cold gust of wind pushed her back towards the room. Kashoku blinked in surprise. Wind? She was indoors. 

  


The older man turned his head and seemed to notice her. “Please. Come in.”

  


Kashoku swallowed, wondering if she should. A more gentle wind blew against her. Where on earth was it coming from? Was the AC broken? Sucking in a careful breath she stepped into the room. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

  


The man smiled down at the woman and Mr. Hedge. “It’s alright. I knew it was time.”

  


Smiling sadly, Kashoku looked down at the bed. Her eyes went wide before they darted between the deceased Mr. Hedge and the elderly man. They were the same person. “You’re…”

  


Sal smiled. “The green light...it’s calling to me. I just wanted to tell my wife I love her one last time. Will you do that for me?”

  


Kashoku could hear it suddenly, the call of the planet. It was like a subtle tugging. “The planet is calling you home. Of course I’ll tell her.”

  


“Lilies,” he nodded at Kashoku’s basket, “they are her favorite.”

  


Looking down, Kashoku realized the yellow lilies were all she had left. Not a coincidence, she was sure. Reaching in and plucking all three out she cautiously approached the bed. “Mrs. Hedge?” The sobbing woman slowly raised her head and looked at Kashoku. “I’m so sorry for your loss. I know that your husband loved you very much.”

  


With a sniffle and a confused look, Mrs. Hedge took the flowers. “You knew my husband?”

  


“Not for very long, but he told me how much he loved you,” Kashoku told her. “Yellow lilies represent Reunion. At least, that’s what one of my good friends told me. I know he’s waiting for you in the lifestream, whenever you’re ready.”

  


Pulling the flowers in against her chest she smiled through heavy tears. “I know. I know he is, child. Thank you.”

  


Sal smiled at Kashoku and then his body started to turn transparent and dissolve into brilliant green lights. “Thank you.” Turning his back to Kashoku he walked towards the window and disappeared completely in a beautiful cascade of light.

  


Another wind blew, but this time it swirled around her gentle. Happy. Kashoku breathed in and felt peace and warmth. The planet. The wind was the planet communicating with her. Guiding her. Aerith told her it didn’t communicate with words, but with signs. How many times had she felt the wind blow against her hair and ignored a potential sign? What had the planet been telling her that she’d ignored until now? She’d have to be far more aware.

  


The breeze that had brushed past her guiding her glance towards the vision of the burning tower in Sector 5 came to mind. Had that been a sign, too? Surely.

  


With an empty basket, Kashoku made her way to the elevator and back down to the lobby. She’d completed what she’d been sent here to do, in more ways than one. Not only had she confirmed her ability to see ghosts like Aerith, but she’d helped a dead man complete his dying wish so that he could return to the planet. 

  


“Ms. Tuesti?” The desk nurse stopped her. “Will you return?”

  


Kashoku was surprised by her hopeful tone and it caused her not to answer right away.

  


“Sorry, it’s just that rumors spread fast and it’s already made the rounds how happy you’ve made the patients today,” the nurse explained.

  


“Oh, sorry, yes, of course,” Kashoku nodded in understanding. “I don’t know how often I’ll be able to get enough flowers to visit. Ah, at least once a month, I think? Summer should be better.” She didn’t want to cut Ruvie’s garden bare. Maybe she could borrow some from Aerith?

  


“That would be great,” the nurse assured her. “Thank you. Whatever you can provide. You’ve really made people smile today.”

  


It was something so incredibly simple, but it was so effective. Kashoku hated that she hadn’t thought of this sooner. That it had taken something of self-interest to bring her here in the first place. Doing charity felt good and she wanted to continue doing it. Maybe she could bring Genesis? There would be so many kids that looked up to him that would be ecstatic to see him. Truthfully, she couldn’t imagine he’d enjoy it very much. Genesis wasn’t exactly the charitable type, but that’s exactly why Kashoku was going to drag him here one day. It would do him good. She could lure him there with the idea of all the press he would get. How it would elevate him above Sephiroth by doing such a good deed. That would likely do the trick.

  


Kashoku left the hospital with an empty basket and a full heart, but she also had an itch to just...tell someone about it all. She could tell Cait Sith, of course, and she would absolutely bring him the next time she came, but she really wished she could talk to Kage about this. Even though it could sound totally plausible that she just decided out of nowhere to go bring flowers to the hospital, she knew Kage far better than that. Kage already knew she was lying. About what, she wasn’t sure, but she knew something was up. Kashoku had already been too careless with Carbuncle and Genesis.

  


On the walk home she realized who she could tell, though: Reeve.

  


Shooting her father a quick text she invited him over for dinner. It was growing dark and most families were already home cooking, but she knew damn well her father was still at work. Even if he wasn’t, he either wouldn’t have eaten yet or had nothing but picked over left overs from take out. The only decent meal Reeve ever had was lunch and that was only because he bought it from the cafeteria. 

  


“Hey Cait, I’m home,” Kashoku announced as she stepped inside the apartment and locked the door behind her.

  


“Hiya, lassie!” Cait Sith greeted excitedly. “How was the hospital?”

  


“Good, actually,” Kashoku responded as she kicked off her shoes and took off her coat. “Really good. There were way more kids there than I was expecting. I think you should come next time. I think you’d make them smile more than some flowers would.”

  


“Kids? Why were they there?”

  


Kashoku clasped her hands together in front of her, bringing them to her face in a silent prayer for them to all get better. “I didn’t ask, but truthfully…? I’ve always wondered, you know? If the mako might be putting something into the air. If it polluted our skies and made people sick. I think it does. Especially in the Undercity. Mako isn’t just killing the planet. Maybe it’s killing us, too?”

  


“Children do have weaker immune systems,” Cait Sith agreed. “I’d be happy to join you next time. Did you find the ghosts you were looking for?”

  


Starting to pull out pans and vegetables from the fridge, Kashoku nodded. “Actually, yeah. That’s why I invited Daddy over to talk about it. He needs to know.”

  


“Was it scary?” Cait Sith asked, hopping up onto one of the barstools to be closer to eye-level. 

  


“Not really,” Kashoku answered. “Not like in the books or anything. It seemed kind of...normal? Mm, maybe that’s not the word. Natural, maybe? At least, for me. He was just looking for help.”

  


“So Aerith was right, then? There are some things you share.”

  


“Well, I would hope so,” Kashoku responded, grabbing a knife. She was going to make a stir fry that was comparable to the one her father loved so much at a restaurant down in the Slums. It wasn’t as good, but it was close. “I feel like we’d share more than we didn’t, but I guess I don’t really know anything. We’re learning as we go.”

  


Reeve was surprisingly right on time with his knock, and Cait Sith let him in. Kashoku had expected him to be at least thirty minutes late if not more. “Oh, smells wonderful.”

  


“Hey, Daddy,” Kashoku greeted him from behind the stove. “Scotch?”

  


Reeve’s eyebrows shot up in both surprise and delight. “You have scotch?”

  


Kashoku shrugged. It was because of Genesis, but she wasn’t going to say that. “I know what you like.”

  


“I’ll pour a glass for you,” Cait Sith told him.

  


“Thank you, Cait,” Reeve smiled. “I was surprised by your message. My favorite meal and my favorite liquor.” He took a seat and looked at Kashoku seriously. “What have you done?”

  


Kashoku let out an annoyed huff and placed her hands on her hips. “What? A daughter is not allowed to do something nice for her dad?”

  


“If you were still twelve, sure,” Reeve agreed. “Once you hit fifteen you decided to do whatever you wanted whenever you wanted.”

  


Opening her mouth she thought about arguing, but there was nothing to argue. He was absolutely right. “Fine. Maybe I did...something.”

  


Reeve sighed and threw back the entire glass of scotch Cait Sith had poured and handed the glass back to him for a refill. “Please tell me you aren’t pregnant.”

  


Kashoku squealed and her cheeks turned pink. “NO! Why is that everyone’s first question?!”

  


“Because it’s every father’s worst fear!” Reeve answered. “And wait, who else has asked you that? Is there a reason everyone is asking you that?”

  


With narrowed eyes Kashoku glared at him, choosing to ignore the latter part of his questions. “Really? That’s your biggest fear? Not Kage or Director Veld telling everyone I’m an Ancient and ending up a prisoner in Shinra’s science labs?”

  


“And you, an Ancient, being pregnant, would ensure you ended up there,” Reeve pointed out. 

  


Kage had told her the same thing in her lecture about safe sex. Especially a child fathered by a SOLDIER. As annoying as the question was, Kashoku relaxed in understanding. “There’s absolutely no baby, but it does have to do with Ancient things.”

  


Reeve took a smaller sip this time. “Such as?”

  


Pulling out two large bowls, Kashoku started to divide the portions from the pan. “I took some of the flowers from Grandma’s garden to the hospital today. I thought they could really make someone’s day, you know? They were a big hit, but I also may have unexpectedly discovered a new ability of mine.”

  


“Lassie can see ghosts,” Cait Sith announced proudly.

  


Reeve looked at him with wide brown eyes and then Kashoku. “Really? I suppose that’s not entirely surprising if you can speak with the planet. What’s that like? Do you just see dead people...everywhere?”

  


Sliding both bowls across the counter she took a seat next to her father at the island. “No. It’s not like that. I’m not sure, exactly, but I don’t think I can see everyone. I think once a soul has truly returned to the planet I can no longer commune with them. But some souls still have unfinished business. I helped a man cross over today.”

  


Starting to eat his food, Reeve quietly contemplated what she’d told him. “Did anyone see?”

  


“No,” she told him. “The wife was too busy grieving to notice, and there were no nurses around.” Leaning forward onto the counter her pendant slipped out from between her breasts. Oh. Grasping it in her hand she bit at her lower lip. “There’s also...this. I may or may not have summoned it.”

  


Reeve choked on his food and had to pound his chest heavily to recover. “You what?! When? How?!”

  


“Um, a few weeks ago? A month ago? I don’t know. It was in one of the VR training rooms,” Kashoku spewed out quickly.

  


“Training rooms?! How on earth did you get into one of those? Was it Kage?” He glowered angrily.

  


“Actually, it was -,” Cait Sith started but Kashoku gave him a kick with her foot.

  


“Y-yes! It was Kage!” Dammit! She really didn’t want to continue the string of lies, but she absolutely couldn’t mention Genesis. Kage had already been pissed enough about it. Reeve would go ballistic. “It’s nothing to worry about, really!” Cait Sith was giving her a knowing glare but she shook her head desperately at him.

  


“As if I didn’t have enough to question about her loyalty,” Reeve scoffed angrily into his scotch glass. 

  


Kashoku winced, pissed at herself for only adding to the feud between her father and best friend needlessly. All because she was a coward and didn’t want to tell anyone she and Genesis were an actual thing. Aerith was definitely wrong about her. There was nothing brave about her at all. “It’s not impressive, and it certainly isn’t going to burn down any buildings,” she told him. “I really feel like I messed up somehow, though? Zack did manage to pull me from the void. Did he pull me out too soon? Was the process incomplete?” It had been bothering her for a while and she hadn’t told anyone. 

  


“If what you went through was somehow ‘incomplete’, then I am terrified of what the full result must be,” Reeve told her truthfully. “Kashoku, what you did already landed you in the infirmary. If there was really more to be done, how much more would it have taken out of you?”

  


She’d thought about that exact thing. Several times, actually, and she didn’t think the truth was anything good. “I think...maybe...all of it.”

  


Reeve’s jaw tightened, and she could tell he agreed with that guess. 

  


“Isn’t that what summons are? Us. They’re us,” Kashoku put down her fork as it all started to come to realization in her head. “A real summon, the ones Genesis has, they’re Ancients. That’s how they are so powerful. It’s their entire being. Is that...is that my destiny?” The fuzzy memories of the chest of red materia came to mind. Aerith’s suggestion that perhaps she was a summoner instead of a healer. Kashoku felt herself grow cold in fear and she started to lose herself in her thoughts of horrible nightmares. 

  


Reeve’s warm hand on hers grounded her. “Not within my lifetime it isn’t. I’ll start researching summons, as much as I can. I don’t know how much the Shinra archives have, but whatever there is I’ll find. Do you have any idea how you did it? Can you keep it from happening again?”

  


Letting out a disappointed sigh, Kashoku shook her head. “I mean, I guess I’ve never been in a situation where I’ve been that scared. Maybe that did it, but...if it potentially happens everytime I’m scared, we're in trouble.  _ I’m _ in trouble.”

  


“I won’t send you to the Undercity anymore,” Reeve told her firmly. 

  


It stung, badly. Kashoku’s heart sank and she knew she could argue until her face was blue and it wouldn’t matter. It didn’t matter that she was secretly going to see Aerith. This meant being chained to her desk unless there was a problem with the reactors or an issue Topside, which rarely happened. All the problems were below the plates because they weren’t maintained properly. It made her briefly doubt her honesty with her father, but she knew it was the right call. It was in her best interest until she could better understand how to control her abilities. Control her fear.

  


Reeve let out a long and worried sigh. “I have to wonder just how much Veld knows.”

  


Kashoku swallowed hard in agreement. Kage had vowed not to say anything, but Turks had a way of just knowing. Especially Veld. “Has he said anything?”

  


“No,” Reeve told her, “in fact, I haven’t received a private visit from him in quite some time. Somehow, that is more concerning than him stalking me in the elevator on the regular.”

  


Kashoku had only had a handful of encounters with Director Veld, but she agreed that knowing what he was up to was far better than not. “If he knew, he’d taunt you with it, though, wouldn’t he? That’s what he’s always done in the past.”

  


Reeve tilted his head and gave a small shrug. “One would think he would be quite smug about it, but he might also be buying his time for something more. I don’t know, and I don’t dare try to find out. There’s a reason he’s kept what you are to himself, and it’s not out of the kindness of his heart.”

  


Sucking in a worried breath Kashoku nodded in agreement. Veld scared her enough as it was. “I guess no news is good news at this point.”

  


“So we can assume,” Reeve agreed, taking another sip. “Is there anything else?”

  


Kashoku thought of Aerith and the church and licked her lips. “No. That’s it.” It was far from the first time she’d kept something from her father, but this felt the worst to lie about. Cait Sith let out a small grunt of displeasure knowing damn well she was lying. “For now, anyway.” She’d tell him. Eventually. “Kage doesn’t even know about the ghosts, yet. She’s been really busy with something lately, so I haven’t bothered her.”

  


“Is she alright?” Reeve asked with genuine concern.

  


Kashoku nodded, happy to hear that despite their, ah, _ differences, _ he still cared. “Yeah, she’s fine. I’ll tell her you asked.”

  


Reeve let out a snort in between his final bites. “Somehow, I don’t think she’d care too much.”

  


“I think she would,” Kashoku argued. Reeve didn’t answer and she sighed. She wouldn’t give up on them. Never. Sliding off of her chair she grabbed her father’s now empty bowl and stacked it on hers before placing them in the sink. She was just about to turn on the water when there was a knock on the door.

  


“Are you expecting someone?” Reeve asked curiously.

  


No. She wasn’t.

  


“I’ll get it!” Cait Sith told them and he bounded for the door.

  


Kashoku wiped her hands on the towel at the sink and tilted her head to look around the wall towards the door. Was it Kage? Probably not. She tended not to bother knocking. Kashoku wished it was, though, so she could lock her and her father inside and force them to be civil towards one another.

  


“Hey Cait, how’s it hanging?”

“Laddie, no-!”

  


Kashoku swallowed down a shriek as the towel dropped from her hands to the floor, eyes wider than her face. She absolutely knew that voice.  _ Shit! _

  


“What are  _ you _ doing here?” Reeve scoffed angrily, standing up tall and defensively.

  


Genesis’ glowing blue eyes went as wide as Kashoku’s as he stepped into the apartment and noticed Reeve there. He looked to Kashoku looking for some sort of answer, but she was just as paralyzed by the situation with no clue what to do. “I-uh-sorry! We - um- were supposed to meet up tonight and I tried calling but she didn’t answer so I thought I’d come by and...yeah...shit.”

  


Kashoku reached across the island for her phone and flipped it over. They didn’t have plans, but he had called and sent several texts saying he was coming over. Shit, why had she put it on silent?! Slamming her PHS down a little too hard she swallowed and put on a heavy scowl. “Since when did I ever say it was ok for you to just come over here? Is nothing sacred with you?”

  


Genesis blinked in a second of confusion before quickly catching on. He went from scared and confused to bold and defensive, playing the role. “Oh, gee, so sorry I was concerned something had happened to you. For all I knew you were lying dead in your own pool of blood on the kitchen floor. My mistake.”

  


“I never agreed to meet up with you, you just assumed!” Kashoku threw back. 

  


“You just don’t give up, do you?” Reeve interjected angrily. “You may be best friends with Commander Hewley and thus Kashoku is forced to tolerate you, but that doesn’t give you the right to continue to harass her with your presence!”

  


Kashoku visibly flinched at the attack from her father, and she knew Genesis did, too. Biting her lower lip, she knew she had to put a quick end to this. Genesis didn’t deserve this. Placing a hand against Reeve’s chest she nudged him back. “Daddy, I’ve got this, ok?” Hurriedly she grabbed Genesis’ arm and pulled him back through the door out into the hallway closing the door behind them. 

  


“Why didn’t you tell me your dad was here!?” Genesis hissed angrily. “Now he hates me even more than he already did, which I didn’t think was possible!”

  


“I’m sorry! I didn’t realize I’d turned my phone on silent!” Kashoku apologized, really kicking herself for that. “I’m sorry, I really am, but if it makes you feel better my dad is never going to like you! He hates anyone from Shinra! The only way my dad would be happy with me dating is if it was the local bus boy.”

  


Genesis scowled. “A bus boy!? Seriously? Your dad would really be fine with you stooping so low?”

  


“I’m serious, Genesis, all my dad wants is for me to marry someone that has no affiliation with Shinra, no matter how low that bar goes,” Kashoku told him. “My dad actually likes Angeal, and he’d be just as pissed off with me dating him.”

  


“Your father has extremely low and horrible expectations for you,” Genesis told her.

  


Sighing, Kashoku just shrugged. “He doesn’t see things like you and I, ok? Hey,” she reached up and grabbed his jaw gently forcing him to look at her. “I’ve been doing absolutely everything my dad has told me not to do since I turned sixteen, and that’s not about to change anytime soon. I l-,” she stopped herself, swallowing down the words. No,  _ fuck no _ . She was not ready for that. “I’ll do my best to smooth down the ruffled feathers. Planet knows he has plenty of them between you and Kage. What he said back there was uncalled for, even for him.”

  


He seemed unsure, but eventually he put on that smile of his and asked, “So, should I go back to the barracks, or-?”

  


Kashoku slapped his arm as they fell into their usual banter. “Go grab a drink around the block and I’ll text you when he’s gone.”

  


Cradling her face in his hands, Genesis pulled her up for a proper kiss. “Good.”

  


“Get out of here,” Kashoku slapped his ass. Watching Genesis walk away Kashoku sucked in a breath and centered herself before heading back in to face her father. Fuck. Not only had she made things worse between him and Kage, but now between him and Genesis. And she’d almost said the fucking L word! Could she not do anything right? “I’m sorry about that,” Kashoku apologized to Reeve as she made her way back to the kitchen.

  


“Unbelievable,” Reeve huffed, still very much annoyed.

  


Kashoku brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and licked her lips as she returned to the sink. “Genesis is a lot, but he’s really not that bad.”

  


“Not that bad?” Reeve scoffed in heavy disagreement. “He doesn’t know when to leave well enough alone! That man doesn’t know what it’s like not to get what he wants. He’s been handed everything as a First and expects that to apply in real life!”

  


“Well,” Kashoku tilted her head, “that’s not entirely untrue, but, Genesis does have redeeming qualities.”

  


“Like what?” Reeve asked, doubting her words.

  


Kashoku couldn’t tell him everything that was on her mind, because it would completely give her away. Give them away. “He’s incredibly loyal and faithful to those he cares about, and believe it or not that does include me. Yes, he’s very opinionated and self-centered, but no one else enjoys Loveless as much as I do and he is a good friend.”

  


“I never thought I’d see the day where you defended Commander Rhapsodos,” Reeve told her with raised eyebrows.

  


“Believe me, neither did I,” she confessed, scrubbing the dishes a little harder than was necessary, “but I can firmly say to your face that he is my friend.”

  


Reeve reacted expectedly, huffing in doubt. “I didn’t realize friends constantly made unwanted advances even after being told no.”

  


_ Just tell him. Just tell the truth. _ Kashoku opened her mouth and thought about doing it for a brief moment, but she chickened out. “It’s fine, Dad, really.”

  


“Do you feel pressured to be his friend? Because you are friends with Commander Hewely and the General?” Reeve continued to press.

  


Kashoku found it hilarious that her father considered Sephiroth more of a friend than Genesis. “You of all people should know, Daddy, that no one can pressure me into anything. But really? You are ok with me being friends with Sephiroth, but not Genesis?”

  


“The General at least seems to have manners,” Reeve shrugged unapologetically as he finished the last of his scotch. “Gracious, at this rate next thing I know the two of you will be dating!”

  


Kashoku choked on the gasp of air she took in and erupted into a horrible coughing fit. Cait Sith let out an amused half-whine half-laugh. “Why-,” she let out another few coughs and slapped a hand against her chest, “Why would you say that?”

  


“Because your taste in men has been horrible thus far. He’d be on trend,” Reeve answered as if it were completely obvious. 

  


Kashoku wanted to die. She wanted to just melt down onto the floor and die right there. If she told her father that they were, in fact, dating he would probably put her out of her misery for her. 

  


“You should let me choose someone for you,” Reeve suggested casually.

  


Snorting, Kashoku finally looked up at him. “Then I’d be waiting forever just for you to find a boy who I’d have to support financially and probably emotionally. No thanks.”

  


“Women are perfectly capable of being the breadwinners,” Reeve pointed out diplomatically.

  


“Absolutely,” Kashoku agreed, “but I don’t make the money I do to be a babysitter.” Ok, so maybe she had to babysit Genesis sometimes on an emotional level, but he was perfectly capable of supporting himself, really more so than she was. It was equal. A partnership. That’s how she wanted it. 

  


“I had you pegged wrong, then. I always figured you'd want to be the one in control.”

  


Kashoku’s eyes narrowed skeptically. “Are we still talking about the same thing!?”

  


Reeve’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. “I don’t know...are we?”

  


Spinning back around to the sink, she let out an embarrassed cough. “Nevermind.”

  


Reeve hummed and Kashoku heard him slide his chair back to stand. “Thank you for dinner and the nice drink. Well, drinks. It was very much needed. Do you need help cleaning up?”

  


Kashoku shook her head as she worked to dry the dishes. “No, I’m good. Thanks. Sorry about the interruption.”

  


Reeve approached her at the sink and pulled her in to kiss her forehead. “I love you, even if you do have horrible tastes in men.”

  


Smiling, she leaned into it. “Love you, too. Have a good night. Don’t work too hard.”

  


“You know me too well,” Reeve smiled. “Good night.”

  


Kashoku let out a heavy breath she’d been holding when the door closed behind Reeve. She looked at Cait Sith who had his arms crossed and was tapping his foot irritably. “Oh, shut it.”

  


“You lied, lassie! A lot!” Cait Sith told her.

  


“I know!” Kashoku whined. “I don’t feel good about it, believe me, but right now it’s better if Daddy doesn’t know what’s really going on. I mean, you heard him! He’ll have a heart attack if I told him me and Genesis were actually dating!”

  


“And what about your other friends?” Cait Sith asked. “Kage doesn’t know the truth, either.”

  


Kashoku sighed knowingly, drying her hands off on the towel after setting the last dish aside. “I know. Believe me, I know. The only one that knows the entire truth is you. I’m glad I have you, Cait.”

  


“Believe you me, lassie, if I wasn’t bound to you I’d be marching off telling your father everything,” Cait Sith told her honestly.

  


“Gee, thanks,” Kashoku rolled her eyes at him. “What a loyal friend you are.”

  


“I’m very loyal, lassie, in the fact that I want the best for you. That means not lying to everyone around you. I don’t think they’d react as negatively as you think.”

  


Maybe, but maybe not, and she wasn’t ready to find out just yet. “I don’t need a guilt trip right now, Cait.”

  


Cait Sith shook his head and poured fresh scotch into Reeve’s glass and handed it to Kashoku. “I don’t pretend to have a clue about human relationships, lassie, but from what I’ve seen most people that are in a relationship are happy to tell others about it. They flaunt it with public displays of affections and rings that symbolize their union”   
  


Kashoku accepted the drink and immediately took a sip. “What can I say? Nothing about Genesis and I has ever been normal. It probably never will be.”

  


“You are happy though, aren’t you, lassie?” Cait Sith asked worriedly.

  


Kashoku sucked in a shuddered breath as she took a second to think about his question. “Am I happy that we feel the need to keep this from everyone? No. Am I happy when I’m with Genesis? Yes. No one can piss me off like he can, but no one can make me smile like him, either.” She let out a small laugh and rubbed her free hand against her temple. “I honestly can’t even believe I’m saying all of this. This time last year he made me feel used and had me bawling my eyes out on the train and now…”

  


“You humans are confusing. Nothing you ever say or do makes sense, which means a change of heart and emotions is so confusing it makes perfect sense.”

  


Sighing, Kashoku sat down on the edge of the barstool. She was a human herself and she didn’t understand it anymore than he did. “Can I be honest with you?”

  


“You know you can,” Cait Sith answered, hopping up on the other stool where Reeve had previously sat.

  


“I’ve always had feelings for Genesis,” Kashoku confessed, “I just couldn’t stand the idea of being with someone that was so - so - in love with themself. I still can’t stand the idea, but I’ve seen him change. I mean, he still can be an asshole and thinks highly of himself, but he’s so much more open with himself and his feelings.”

  


“He’s let you in,” Cait Sith suggested.

  


Kashoku nodded in agreement. “He has. A lot. I just -,” she sucked in a scared breath as she pictured feathers falling from the sky. “Then what? We both lay ourselves bare and say the words and then I lose him?”

  


“Don’t lose hope just yet, lassie. Nothing has happened, so there’s still time to figure it out.”

  


But how much time? Feathers had started to fill more and more of her dreams of late when they weren’t occupied by Aerith. Blowing out a frustrated puff of air Kashoku tucked her knees up and set her feet down on the lower bar of the stool. “I really hope you’re right.”

  


Cait Sith placed a hand on her thigh. “I’m here for you, lassie. Whatever you need. Even if that does include more lies.”

  


Smiling, Kashoku scooped him up into her arms and pulled him in tight. “Thanks, Cait. I love you.”

  


Cait Sith rested his head against her chest and hugged her back. “Back at ya, lassie.”

  


Giving him one last squeeze she set him down and then picked up her phone. “Guess I better tell Genesis he can come back now.”

  


Cait Sith let out a groan and he hopped off the stool. “Just turn me off, lassie. Put me out of my misery.”

  


Kashoku let out a giggle and held her phone up to her face. “You betcha.”

  


/*/

  


Fujin was starting to break. The commander likely didn’t realize what he was doing, but he’d started giving away locations of their armies to Tseng in conversation. He’d even given up a few critical names. There were still a few more they were banking on getting, and then of course their attack plan that they knew was happening under their nose where they lacked the appropriate details to counter. Tseng wasn’t going to get those details on his own, though, and taking him away to ‘torture’ wasn’t going to be enough. No, Kage needed to make it feel real. Very real. That’s why she didn’t tell Tseng what she was going to do before she barged into their cell and grabbed a fistful of his shoulder-length hair.

  


“Let’s cut to the chase, Commander, we know you were planning an attack on our troops near Tangu Village. I’m quite sure that while it was delayed by your capture, someone is still planning to carry that attack out in your stead. Tell us what the plan is and who is leading the attack.”

  


Fujin’s jaw tightened and he glanced at Tseng, but he lifted his chin in defiance. “I don’t know how many times I have to say that I will tell you nothing. Your torture has proved futile.”

  


“Yeah, you’re right, my torture of you,” Kage agreed before throwing Tseng on the ground and planting a firm boot against his face to hold him down. He grunted painfully, but she ignored it. “But it looks like you’ve become really quite fond of Hsiu here. I’d really hate to see him suffer for your lack of cooperation.” Grabbing Tseng’s arm she twisted it just right to dislocate it instead of break it and reached back to grab her switchblade from her belt. “Everytime you refuse to answer my question I’ll cut off a finger and that’ll be all you two have to eat. Once his fingers are gone I’ll move to his toes, and then we’ll just go straight limbs. So, are you going to force Hsiu to eat himself until there’s nothing left, or are you going to tell me what I want to know?”

  


There was very clear fear in Fujin’s eyes and his skin had paled, but he clamped his jaw shut.

  


“You’ve got five seconds to tell me something,” Kage told him as she started to press the blade against Tseng’s finger drawing blood. She could feel Tseng start to panic beneath her and she pressed her foot down harder.  _ Calm down big boy, this will work, I promise.  _ “Five, four, three, two,-,”

  


“Wait! Stop!” Fujin finally broke. “Commander Guhan is leading the attack out of Camp Wuahu. The camp has served as the lead training spot for materia. We’ve even gotten a hold of a summon. The plan was to ambush north of Ruka River. I don’t know when the attack will happen, there were problems getting the summon under control.”

  


A summon. An uncontrollable summon. Shit. Kage released Tseng and stood erect. “Fantastic. That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Tilting her head she looked down at her partner who struggled to get up. “Mission complete.”

  


Tseng responded with a small nod before grabbing his arm and popping it back into place with a loud grunt. Slowly, he stood and then narrowed his eyes at Fujin. “Shinra thanks you for your service.”

  


Fujin looked with wide eyes between them as everything started to fall into place. “W-wait, Hsiu, what are you-,” 

  


Kage slit his throat before he could say anything else. The betrayal was clear in his eyes and that’s all she needed him to feel before killing him. She moved her foot out of the way as he fell to the floor and blood pooled out beneath him. Wiping her blade on her leg she grinned and pocketed it. Tseng was glaring at her. “What?”

  


“A gun would have been far less messy,” he told her.

  


She shrugged. “Never been much of a gun fan, what can I say?”

  


“Would you have really cut off my fingers if he didn’t answer?” Tseng asked. There was a hesitance in his voice that made him believe she would.

  


Kage grinned, all teeth. “You’ve got ten fingers, Tseng, what’s a few missing, huh? Oh, come on, get a sense of humor. We got the information we needed and you’re fully intact.”

  


Tseng let out a long drawn out sigh and followed Kage out of the cell. “We should inform the director immediately.”

  


“Yeah, yeah. I’ll send Reno to clean up the mess. Rookie hazing at it’s finest.”

  


Kage offered for Tseng to clean himself up first, but he declined, eager to get to Veld. What a brown noser. They recited what Fujin had told them and Veld took it all in, a thoughtful finger on his lips. 

  


“Well, it sounds to me that there is a trip to Wutai in your future,” Veld eventually told them.

  


Kage had to hold back a groan. Not that she was overly surprised by that decision, but she still hated the idea of several weeks in the field with no shower and shit food. She’d have to make sure she stole a nice stash of Wutai sake to make it bearable. “If they have a summon we should tell Director Deusericus to send Genesis back with us.”

  


“I’m sending you two in to neutralize the summon before it’s called,” Veld told her pointedly. 

  


That may have been true, and while Kage felt confident in their abilities to do so, she still would have felt a lot better if Genesis was there to provide backup in the form of two powerful summons just in case. “Back up plans are always good to have, sir.”

  


Veld raised a curious eyebrow. “Are you and Kashoku fighting?”

  


Kage flinched, taken back by the question. “Um, not that I’m aware of, sir, why?”

  


“Because I couldn’t think of any other reason you’d take away her favorite source of entertainment,” Veld answered. 

  


Sucking in a sharp breath through her nose, Kage held back the sarcastic comment she almost vomited. Of course Veld knew. He always knew everything. “Not an attack on Kashoku, just looking out for my own skin. I’m allowed.”

  


“I have every faith you and Tseng will neutralize the threat before it becomes an issue,” Veld told her simply. 

  


He didn’t want to give them a crutch to fall back on. 

  


“We do not require backup,” Tseng assured Veld.

  


Kage huffed at his confidence. One day he’d be under someone’s boot and it wouldn’t be an ally. “When do we leave?”

  


“Tomorrow. The sooner the better,” Veld answered. “I will work with Director Deusericus immediately and draft the official assignment. Prepare to not read it until you’re already on the way. I recommend you go to the infirmary and get a potion or treatment from a cure materia, Tseng. You’ll need to be at full health.”

  


Tseng dipped his head in acknowledgement. “Of course, sir. I look forward to the mission. Is there anything else?”   
  


“Not for you, you may go,” Veld told him. 

  


Kage let out a groan, not even trying to conceal it. What, was she being given some secret task to do in Wutai that Veld didn’t want Tseng to know about? Or was this a lecture to look out for the rookie? This would be his biggest mission yet. Tseng left the room obediently without question and Kage glared at her boss. “What is it?”

  


“Commander Hewley and the General are already in Wutai. I don’t want to disrupt the chain of command if it isn’t necessary. Is it necessary, Kage?” Veld asked.

  


Kage shoved her hands in her pockets, trying to figure out what it was he was asking, and then after a moment of thinking the lightbulb went off. If Veld knew about Kashoku and Genesis, then he’d undoubtedly know about her and Angeal’s….well...whatever. “I’ve always been nothing if not professional, sir. I get the job done.”

  


Veld let out a chuckle. “You’ve always gotten the job done, Kage, but professionally? We could have a long debate on that. A good enough answer, I suppose. Don’t bring anything home this time.”

  


“Yeah, yeah, I promise,” Kage assured him. “You really think Tseng is ready for this?”

  


“Did he not just spend close to a month in a cell undercover infiltrating the enemy?” Veld pointed out. 

  


Kage shrugged and made a disbelieving face. “I mean he wasn’t  _ really _ tortured. I roughed him up a few times and sure, we held back his food, but I wouldn’t call that legit. Good acting, though. Undercover is definitely his gig.”

  


“It certainly isn’t yours,” Veld pointed out with a small smirk.

  


Rolling her eyes, Kage gave another shrug, this time in agreement. It wasn’t. “Is this going to be a neutralize the threat mission, or a  _ neutralize _ the threat mission?”

  


Clasping his hands together, Veld sucked in a deep breath. “The way this war is going, I would expect the latter.”

  


Right. “Goodie. Ok. Well, I’m going to go have one last night of fun before the shit show begins.”

  


“I’m sure Commander Rhapsodos will keep an eye on Kashoku for you while you're gone.”

  


Kage huffed as she turned for the door. “I’m sure he’ll be keeping way more than an eye on her.” She didn’t really feel like going out, but mooching dinner and drinks off her best friend was always on the cards. Kashoku agreed, but Kage remembered last minute to send a ‘GIRLS ONLY’ text message to her. She could do without seeing Genesis before she left. He really was the kind of person you appreciated more when they were gone.

  


“I’m surprised you called,” Kashoku told Kage as she set dinner on the table. “You really haven’t been around much lately.”

  


She’d been around, just busy. “Sorry. A lot of shit happening at work. Afraid I have worse news on that front. I’m headed to Wutai.”

  


Kashoku stopped pulling out her chair halfway. “...oh. How long?”

  


“Dunno. Probably a while,” Kage answered her. “Good news is, I’ll be working closely with the guys over there so you don’t need to worry about any of us. We’ll look out for each other.”

  


That did make her feel better, and she visibly relaxed across from her at the table, finally sitting. “I guess that means Genesis is going with you?”

  


“No, I don’t think so, so your pussy can unclench,” Kage answered. Kashoku fired her an angry glare and she just smiled. “Why don’t you try and make more friends? The longer this war draws out the more likely it is we’ll all be gone over there. What about Zack?”

  


Kashoku gave her food a few stabs as she thought about it, but then made an unsure face. “I don’t know, Zack’s a bit young.”

  


“We were going to bars at that age,” Kage pointed out. She had been going a lot earlier than that. 

  


“I meant mentally,” Kashoku countered.

  


Ah, well, fair. Fair. Haha, get it? Zack Fair. She cracked herself up. “Alright, so maybe he is a little bit behind in the development area. Better than nothing, though, and think of it as taking part in his mental growth.”

  


Kashoku scoffed, but then smiled. “Guess it wouldn’t hurt to add another SOLDIER to my friend list. Would really send Daddy over the edge.”

  


“If you really want to send him over the edge, get cozy with another Turk,” Kage suggested. Not that Kage would want her near any of them. Even though she trusted Rude with her life, she didn’t trust him within a mile of Kashoku. Cissnei was probably the only exception. Kage had trusted Kashoku with the woman once before and it ended up ok. 

  


“I’ll pass, thanks,” Kashoku muttered into her food. “You’re leaving soon?”

  


Kage piled a huge amount of food on her fork and shoved it into her mouth before answering after a long chew and swallow. “Yeah.”

  


Kashoku didn’t seem too surprised by that response. “Ok. Well, I know you’ll be with the guys, but be safe, ok? And keep them safe, too.”

  


“Come on, you have to admit, the imagery of me keeping Sephiroth safe with his six-foot sword is a little funny,” Kage confessed. 

  


“Yes, well, the sword only points in one direction” Kashoku told her. 

  


Kage had never thought about it in such a poetic way, but Kashoku was right. Masamune did only point one way. That meant it was up to her to watch the other side. “Don’t worry. I’ve got his back.” Kashoku didn’t answer, instead looking into her drink, clearly lost in her own world. Kage knew what she was thinking about. “I haven’t given up. I’m still trying to figure it out with you. We’ll stop it. Whatever it is, I promise.”

  


Kashoku was starting to look like she no longer believed it. 

  


Kage sighed into her whiskey before taking a long swig. With nothing more than feathers to go by, it was becoming difficult. It was going to be a long few months, and even Kage couldn’t help the feeling. 

  


They were running out of time.


	6. Chapter 6

**April 1999, Wutai**

  


Angeal and Sephiroth had been sent word that a pair of Turks were on their way with critical information on a planned attack. Maybe it was stupid to hope, but Angeal wanted badly for one of those Turks to be Kage. The odds weren’t particularly in his favor, given the number of Turks that there were, but dare to dream. It had already been four months in Wutai with no reprieve. As much as he tried not to show it, the time was starting to weigh on him. Sephiroth seemed rather indifferent, but Angeal wasn’t sure if the General would voice fatigue even if he felt it. 

  


“They must have gotten information out of Commander Fujin,” Sephiroth told Angeal after they received the notification. 

  


Humming in agreement, Angeal pocketed his phone. He wondered how long it would be until they arrived. They were likely already on their way. Reports from the Turks had a habit of coming in after they’d already left Midgar leaving them little time to prepare for arrival. Looking to the sky, Angeal searched for any sign of a helicopter. Nothing. “Let’s head back to the command tent and make our updates to the sandtable before they arrive.”

  


“Wise idea,” Sephiroth dipped his head and fell into step behind Angeal as they headed towards the largest tent in the camp.

  


Angeal pushed the flap aside and heard a voice that had him almost jumping out of his boots.

  


“Yo.”

  


Kage was lounging back in a chair, her boots propped up on the center table that held their maps and sandtable. She was playing with a switchblade, a smile on her face. “Come on, Angeal, you’d think you’d be used to seeing me in the shadows by now.”

  


Once Angeal’s heart rejoined his body he smiled fondly. While the chance had been small, there had been a chance, and it turned out luck was on his side. “You would think. When did you get here? I never saw or heard a helicopter.”

  


“I saw it fly by two hours ago,” Sephiroth announced with a deadpan face.

  


“And you didn’t think to say something?” Angeal huffed in annoyance at both Sephiroth for not saying anything and for himself for not having noticed the helicopter himself. 

  


Sephiroth shrugged. “We had not yet received the message about the Turks, so I didn’t find it prudent to mention.”

  


Didn’t find it - Angeal let out a sigh and shook his head. Typical Sephiroth. “So, you’re one of two Turks. Where’s the other?”

  


“Here,” a male stepped out from the side tent where he’d been concealed. Angeal raised his brows in silent surprise. Two Wutai Turks. Hmm. Smart. Looks like there had been much better odds at Kage being here than he initially thought when he put it in that perspective. 

  


“That’s Tseng,” Kage introduced, finally removing her feet from the table and letting the chair rock back down on all four legs. “He’s still relatively new, but he’s proved himself useful. You can thank him for the information we got from Commander Fujin.”

  


Tseng stepped forward up to the sandtable and started to move around the pieces that represented the Wutai soldiers. “They are preparing for their attack here out of Camp Wuahu. This camp’s specialty is materia training. Our intelligence shows they have acquired a summon materia, which is why the delay in the attack. They are trying to master it.”

  


“Attempts have gone pretty shitty from what we’ve been told,” Kage added. “Must be a summon of substance.”

  


Angeal looked at the table worriedly. This wasn’t good news. In fact, this was pretty horrible news. “A summon? And no one thought to maybe bring Genesis out here? You know, our summons specialist?”

  


“Hey, I tried,” Kage told him. “I lobbied for him heavily, but was given a resounding no. Too wrapped up in the trainees, I guess. Plus, that’s apparently why they sent out here in the first place; to make sure the summon never becomes a problem.”

  


He sucked in a sharp and unsure breath. Two turks being sent out to eliminate an entire camp of enemy soldiers that had a summon materia. There were no honorable ways such a thing like that could be done. “And what exactly does that entail?” 

  


“Haven’t decided yet,” Kage told him. Angeal translated that as ‘You don’t want to know’ and he allowed her to leave it at that because no, he didn’t want to know.

  


“If it comes to the point of needing Genesis, we have likely already failed,” Sephiroth pointed out. 

  


Angeal knew that he was right, but it still would have made him feel a lot more at ease knowing they had Genesis as a Plan B no matter how much he trusted Kage to get the job done. Whatever the job actually was. “Do we have any information at all about the summon?”

  


“No,” Tseng answered. “All we have is that last Commander Fujin knew they had been unsuccessful in their attempts at actually summoning it. I have to assume they cannot even get a name or image.”

  


“Well, that’s something,” he breathed out in relief. “Hopefully, that still holds true. It has been some time since you took Fujin.”

  


Tseng let out a small grunt and moved the pieces that represented SOLDIER towards the blue thread that symbolized the river. “When they do plan to attack, it’s north of the Ruka River. You should prepare your troops to intercept them here just in case we are unable to stop the attack.”

  


“We will need to put out a WARNO to the company commanders to disseminate to the troops and prepare an OPORD brief,” Sephiroth said as he observed the sandtable in full. “We’ll have to move swiftly. There’s no time to delay with a summon potentially in play.”

  


Angeal straightened and nodded. All of that would fall on him to make happen. Good thing OPORD writing and briefing was Angeal’s specialty. Sephiroth wrote very in depth and detailed OPORDs, but he went so far into detail it took too long in a battlefield situation, and his actual briefing left plenty to be desired. He was much better in TRADOC. Genesis was the opposite. He wouldn’t even bother writing an OPORD, instead would write scribbled notes and diagrams on a piece of paper, and would usually wing it for the brief. That made him particularly great in live fire stations. This particular situation was neither, which meant Angeal’s perfect blend was best. Still, he’d be up all night working on it and that wasn’t something to look forward to. Unless, well...perhaps Kage would join him while he worked. 

  


_ Don’t be stupid, she has her own job to do. _

  


“Leave it to me,” Angeal told him, already drafting the words in his head as he, too, observed the table in full. They should leave some troops behind to guard the bivouac just in case they were either breached at the river or for whatever reason Fujin had been lying and they flanked from the west or south. “We should get the two of you set up with somewhere to sleep and maybe a hot meal.”

  


“Oh, you’ve got decent food this time?” Kage teased with a smile.

  


“Hot and ready,” Angeal assured her, fighting back the large and dumb smile he wanted to give her in reference to their first meeting. It was years ago, now, but somehow seemed like yesterday. “Can’t promise it’s good, though.”

  


“I’ll survey the camp,” Tseng announced, not even bothering to wait for a response before leaving the tent.

  


Angeal let out a curious grunt. “Not very personable, is he?”

  


“Are any Turks?” Kage shrugged, moving so she was closer to Angeal’s side as she watched Tseng leave. “He’s definitely part of the no fun gang, though. I’m sure my established relationship with you two doesn’t help.”

  


“It is good to see a friendly face,” Sephiroth said flatly, with no emotion at all.

  


Kage let out a laugh and gave his shoulder a soft punch. “Wow, are you trying to say you’re happy to see me, Seph? You’re such a joy.”

  


Despite Sephiroth’s dead-to-the-world face, Angal knew he actually meant what he said and it filled him with a calming warmth. It certainly was good to see a friendly face in the field. “How are Genesis and Kashoku?”

  


“Oh, you know, fucking in every corner of Midgar. I was very much feeling like a third wheel,” Kage told him with a shrug followed by a smirk and a wink. “They’re perfectly fine. Don’t worry about them.”

  


Except he did worry and that only made him worry more. Genesis and Kashoku were two people that not only got attached far too easily but threw themselves at whatever they were attached to. A ticking time bomb. Maybe a bomb was too generous. This was...a nuclear weapon of summon proportions. The fact that his vocal displeasure had gone ignored bothered him even more. Kashoku was too devoted to her work and Genesis was too devoted to himself. “If you say so.”

  


“Perhaps I should join Tseng in surveying the camp and making sure the perimeter is secure,” Sephiroth suggested, either feeling a third wheel himself or deciding he was bored with the conversation. 

  


Angeal rolled his eyes, “That’s no task for a General, Sephiroth, and you know it. Come on, share a meal with Kage and I like a real friend.”

  


Sephiroth seemed mildly confused at the request, but then dipped his head in acknowledgement. So the former, then. “Very well.”

  


Maybe he should have let Sephiroth go, but it also felt much more comfortable with all three of them together. 

  


As they ate, Kage shared in excruciating detail how Tseng had come about learning what he had from Commander Fujin. Sephiroth had a very curious eyebrow raised during the entirety while Angeal cringed wishing she would reel in the detail just a tad. When Sephiroth asked for her to elaborate on some torture techniques Angeal had finally had to throw in the towel and asked them to cease the conversation. Just because he very well understood what it was Kage did, didn’t mean he had to listen to it. Ignorance very well was bliss. 

  


“I’d love to give you a grand tour, but I have an OPORD to work on,” Angeal told Kage as he finally rose from his seat with his paper tray and trash piled up in hand. 

  


Kage wiped her mouth with a tissue and dropped it onto her own tray. “Don’t worry, I already surveyed the place before sneaking up on you in your own tent. Funny how not one person pulling security noticed me.”

  


It did make Angeal want to negatively counsel every single trooper and SOLDIER pulling security, but he knew better. Even Angeal himself wouldn’t have detected Kage out on the perimeter until it was far too late to do a damn thing about it. “I suppose our security isn’t Turk proof.”

  


“Well, since I’m not tired yet and you have a mission brief to write I’ll go have some fun with them. Consider it free training since I’m feeling so generous,” Kage grinned at him, all teeth. 

  


Angeal opened his mouth to protest, but knew better than that. “Try not to be too hard on them.”

  


“On the contrary,” Sephiroth objected, “expose every weakness. They will not improve otherwise.”

  


Well, that was true, but Angeal worried that if she completely shattered their defenses then she’d also destroy their confidence. Not to mention their egos. Well, those probably deserved the beating they’d get. “Just try not to get yourself accidentally shot or stabbed while playing your games.”

  


“Aw, he’s worried. It’s adorable,” Kage gave Angeal a wink and then stood up from their makeshift seating area and table. “I won’t break anyone, myself included. I promise.”

  


Angeal doubted that. “I’ll go find an available tent for you and Tseng. You’ll likely have to share, but I'll try and make your roommates bearable.”

  


“Nah, I’ll sleep with you two,” Kage told him without missing a beat.

  


Angeal blinked and found himself quickly flustered by her bold comment.“I-Uh-we, we don’t have an extra cot.”

  


“Floor’s fine.” Kage shrugged before reading his and Sephiroth’s surprised expressions like a book. “What, do I look like Kashoku to you? I don’t need a cushy bed. Besides, you two are the only ones in this camp I trust to watch my back.”

  


“You don’t trust your partner?” Sephiroth asked with a raised brow.

  


Kage actually tensed and gave a small shrug. “He’s still new. If it was my old partner, hell yeah, but not Tseng. Not yet, anyway. Maybe he’ll earn that trust while we’re here.”

  


That made Angeal give without further thought. Trusting your comrades on the battlefield was of the utmost importance. If Kage didn’t trust Tseng to watch her back, then Angeal would do it instead. “Ok, then. Your partner won’t be offended?”

  


“Tseng’s a big boy, I’m sure he’s already found his own place to catch some Z’s,” Kage responded. “Catch ya later.”

  


After Kage was out of earshot, Sephiroth pointed out the very obvious, “You’re worried about Kage.”

  


“Of course I’m worried,” Angeal huffed in obvious agreement. “They send two Turks to try and neutralize an entire camp with a possible summon? One of which is one of our best friends. You’re not worried?”

  


Sephiroth shook his head confidently. “I am not. Of our friend group, I find next to myself Kage the most capable.”

  


Angeal let out an ugly snort. “I will make sure I never in a million years let Genesis catch wind of you having said that.”

  


The general’s upper lip curled up with amusement. “That statement doesn’t offend you?”

  


“My masculinity is not so fragile,” Angeal answered. Besides, he was probably right. 

  


“If it helps ease your mind, if it were Kashoku here instead I would be extremely worried,” Sephiroth added.

  


Angeal chuckled and gathered up all the trash to be thrown out. It was amusing that Sephiroth felt the need to prove he could feel emotion about the situation if the circumstances were different. “She’d be glad to hear it. If you need me, I’ll be in the command tent working on the OPORD.”

  


“Very well,” Sephiroth dipped his chin in acknowledgement. 

  


Pulling a seat up to the sand table Angeal pulled out several pieces of paper and began his draft. He was meticulous with the most minute of things and even worse with this. What perhaps should have taken an hour took him three as he ran several scenarios through his head and battled between which leaders to take to the river and which to leave behind to defend the area. It was well past midnight when he finally retreated with a report he was satisfied with to his tent. With a heavy sigh he set aside his stack of papers and started to remove his armor. 

  


“Yo, people are sleeping. Stop thinking so loud.”

  


Blinking, Angeal looked towards the voice. He could barely make out Kage’s dark form on the ground between his and Sephiroth’s cot. Sephiroth appeared to be asleep, but Angeal wondered if he was simply resting. “So sorry to wake you from your beauty sleep.”

  


Kage let out an amused grunt. “I wasn’t sleeping. Not yet, anyway. Sephiroth’s faking.”

  


Sephiroth’s green eyes suddenly glowed in the darkness. “I was not faking, I simply felt no need to say anything.”

  


“Like a damn creep,” Kage teased.

  


Angeal continued to remove his gear, though where he’d normally remove his pants he decided to keep those on. It was too dark for Kage to have been able to tell, but it was the principle of it. “Did you have your fun?”

  


“Plenty,” Kage said with enough amusement Angeal could hear her grin even though he couldn’t see it. “You finish your report?”

  


Letting out a tired groan as he sat down on the coat he answered, “I did. Good enough, anyway.” Tilting his head side to side he listened as his neck cracked. “Do you and Tseng know yet how you are going to stop the summon?”

  


There was a pregnant pause, so much so Angeal wondered if Kage had gone to sleep until she finally answered. “We have a few things in mind. All depends on what we encounter when we get there.”

  


Angeal decided that the reason for her hesitation was because she knew very well he wouldn’t like whatever it is they were planning. He shouldn’t have asked, but he couldn’t help himself. Glutton for punishment, he imagined. “Are you heading out as soon as tomorrow?”

  


“Yeah,” Kage answered. “We already spent a month torturing and pulling shit from Fujin and that’s time wasted. Whatever summon they have must be really something if they still don’t have it under control by now.”

  


“That could either be entirely to our advantage or our complete decimation if we are too late,” Sephiroth chimed in. “It is likely they’ve been able to finally summon it and are simply working on control.”

  


Kage grunted at his bluntness. “Thanks, no pressure.”

  


Though he didn’t voice it, Angeal shared Sephiroth’s sentiment and it made him worry for Kage even when he knew he didn’t need to. “Well, in that case it sounds like you need to get all the beauty sleep you can get.”

  


“Better shut up and let me sleep then,” Kage teased.

  


Smiling, Angeal finally settled down on his back, head hitting the firm pillow with a sigh. He never really slept out in the field. Not a true sleep, anyways. SOLDIERs, afterall, could go a long time without a deep sleep. Shutting the eyes for a few hours was enough to keep them going. With Kage as an extra layer of protection around him, Angeal allowed himself to slip away entirely into the first real sleep in months.

  


/*/

  


Kage was up far before the sun and there was still a chill in the air. Tseng was waiting for her outside the tent even though she hadn’t told him where she’d been sleeping. It was a logical assumption he’d find her there, though. There was a heavy fog that sat low on the grass. Perfect for hiding a Turk’s movements. With a stolen map shoved in her back pocket, she and Tseng began their trek to the enemy camp.

  


“Sleep well last night?” Kage asked as they fell into step.

  


“I slept adequately,” he answered.

  


Oh goodie. She could already tell he was going to make this long walk an even longer one. Not one for small talk in the least. “Where’d you end up sleeping?”

  


“Outside,” Tseng answered. “The tents were...loud.”

  


Kage let out an ugly snort. Yeah. Angeal had been a freight train but rather than being annoyed by it Kage found herself smiling. It was cute, and she’d learned as a kid to be able to sleep through the world blowing up. Sephiroth had been the opposite. Completely still and so silent she hadn’t even been able to hear his breaths. He could have been dead for all she knew. “So...did you actually grow up in Wutai or is that just your heritage?”

  


“I did not grow up in Wutai,” Tseng answered simply.

  


Sighing, Kage looked over her shoulder at him. “Tseng, it’s ten klicks to the river and another six to the camp. Work with me here.”

  


“You should learn how to spend time in silence. It could be useful,” Tseng suggested.

  


Kage hated silence. Maybe that was one of the reasons she loved Kashoku so much. Kashoku was always talking. There was always noise. When there was silence, Kage was left to her own thoughts, and that was when she found herself at her worst. Yeah, she fucking hated silence. “Been there, done that, hate it, thanks. Don’t you get bored with just our own thoughts to entertain you?”

  


“Not particularly,” he responded. “It’s calming, but if you must engage in conversation, did you ever spend time in Wutai?”

  


“Nope,” Kage answered. “This is only my second time here. First time was a few years ago. Had to deal with a little thief problem. I might have been born here. I don’t know. I don’t remember shit before I was like, four, I guess.”

  


“Kashoku was born here, though, was she not?”

  


Kage stopped and turned around with narrow eyes. A burst of anger hit her hard seemingly out of nowhere. “Maybe I didn’t say this before, but you don’t get to talk about Kashoku. Keep her name out of your mouth.”

  


Tseng’s eyebrows shut up curiously, his hands clasped behind his back. “Why?’

  


“Because I fucking said so, that’s why,” Kage hissed. It was bad enough that Rude and Cissnei talked about her and that the entirety of the Turk office knew who she was by both sight and name. She didn’t need Tseng digging into her. He’d be just the Turk that would, and Kage was afraid what he’d find. 

  


Tseng didn’t seem fazed by her aggression in the least. “How did you two even meet?”

  


“I said what I said, Tseng,” Kage told him over her shoulder.

  


“And I thought it was you that wanted conversation,” Tseng countered.

  


Kage growled at him turning her own words against her. “We can talk about whatever the hell you want.  _ Except Kashoku.” _

  


“Very well,” Tseng agreed, “then tell me how you came to be on such good terms with the Firsts.”

  


Ok, not exactly a much better topic of conversation, but she could work with this one a lot better. Kage filled the time by going into elaborate detail of her meetings with all three of the Thirds, some of which may or may not have even been true. In fact, a lot of it wasn’t exactly true, but it wasn’t really a lie, either. It was fun embellishment. It passed the time. Some of it, anyway. 

  


Once they reached the river they stopped to take a breath and a drink. The fog had lifted some, but there was still enough for decent cover. It wouldn’t last much longer, though. Once it was completely lifted they’d make camp until darkness fell. Black wearing Turks performed best at night and when it would easily be hundreds - if not thousands - against two, they needed the odds in their favor. 

  


When they finally did reach the camp it was bustling, and they had to stop a lot further away than they had initially anticipated. Luckily, there was a hill far enough away that it wouldn’t be manned by any security, but close enough they could keep an eye on movement. 

  


Dropping her small pack Kage started to climb up the tree to get a better view. “Damn. Was really hoping we could get a bit closer, but this is just going to have to do until it gets dark.”

  


“Can you get an estimation of numbers?” Tseng asked from below.

  


It was hard to tell considering she couldn’t see anyone who was inside the built structures. Wutai had been using this location long enough that they’d completely established it. “Our definition of a camp and Wutai’s is apparently vastly different. This isn’t a temporary site. Translation error, big time. Which, of course, means there’s probably way more people and more senior grade leaders.”

  


“That’s not entirely surprising. If this is their main training sight for materia it would likely be a permanent station. That makes taking control even more critical.”

  


Yeah, and it also made their job that much harder. Though, roofs were a lot easier to scale than tents. The more she looked, the more she didn’t like the situation. The difference between a fort and a camp were massive, though, and they hadn’t come prepared for the former. “I’m good, Tseng, but I’m not a thousand well trained Wutai ninja warriors good. If we knew where they were keeping the summon I’d like our odds a lot better.”

  


“Perhaps I could infiltrate the camp. I know enough information from Commander Fujin to build quick relationships,” Tseng suggested.

  


It was a solid suggestion, and Kage had no doubt that Tseng could talk his way into finding the summon, but, “There’s no good extraction for that plan. You’d be hard pressed to then go anywhere without someone on you. Plus, if they are close enough to figuring this thing out you may not have that kind of time.”

  


Tseng hummed in agreement. “We would need more information before proceeding with that route, I agree. There is one other suggestion we could consider.”

  


“What?”

  


“I noticed on our route here an abundance of Foxglove and Morning Glory.”

  


Kage broke her gaze from the camp and looked down at Tseng. “I don’t even know what those are. Birds? Trees?”

  


“Flowers,” Tseng told her. “Extremely poisonous flowers. Both will cause death and Morning Glory will cause horrible enough hallucinations that perhaps one might kill another in confusion before the poison can.”

  


Kage’s brows shot up in surprise. Firstly, there was the surprise that he’d even know about the flowers, and secondly, that he’d even make that kind of suggestion. “So you want to just poison the entire camp? Well, that’s not a very honorable thing to do.”

  


“No,” Tseng acknowledged with a shrug. “Good thing we aren’t SOLDIER.”

  


A wicked grin found its way onto Kage’s face. Man, he just continued to surprise her, didn’t he? “That’s some real fucked up shit, Tseng. I’m in. How do we get them to eat the flowers, though?”

  


“Not eat, drink,” Tseng told her. 

  


Ah, poison their water source. Nice. She’d done a lot of fucked up things, but this was probably going to climb up the list as one of the worst. It was a little exciting, and that was fucked up, too. Kage jumped down from the tree and wiped her hands on one another. “Alright, sounds like we have some flowers to collect.”

  


For several hours they worked at collecting the pink and purple flowers and then grinding them down into a pulp with rocks. It was nicer than just pulling a stake out even if Tseng’s silence wasn’t much better than it had been on the way there. She did wonder how he knew about the flowers, but she didn’t bother asking. She wondered if Kashoku knew things like that. Yeah, she’d rather ask Kashoku about deadly plants than Tseng. Or maybe not. Did Kage even want Kashoku knowing about that kind of shit?  _ Getting Kashoku to poison someone with a flower is much more likely than teaching her how to fight.  _ Ok, maybe she’d plant a seed for that one when she got back.

  


Night finally fell and they packed up all their paste in their packs, carefully maneuvering their way towards the camp. Kage had been able to find a line of trees that hung over the walls and right onto a rooftop. Tseng wasn’t as quiet as Kage was maneuvering through the trees, but it was nothing that would draw attention. Clearly, Tseng hadn’t had practice scaling the roofs of the Slums as a kid. 

  


Finally within the camp, they both crouched down behind the two-story building they’d come in on. Kage looked at her watch. “One hour to scout out well locations and find the summon materia. We poison the wells on the way back.”

  


Tseng looked at his own watch and nodded. “Grace period?”

  


“Fifteen minutes,” Kage answered. If either of them were delayed by that much, then the other would go on poisoning the wells without them. “Watch sync in three, two, one.” Both their watches beeped and they nodded to each other before going their separate ways. 

  


Kage started out by hopping through a window of the building they’d come in on and climbed to the second floor. It was nothing more than a barrack but the view from the second story gave her a good vantage point. She could spot a well to the distant left. There was a group of warriors gathered around a fireplace talking. She listened in for anything useful. It was mostly meaningless chatter until…

  


“...I heard an update today from Yajim on the summon. They still can’t get it to come out. They’ve cycled through ten of our best magic users now and not one of them can summon this thing.”

  


“What do you think it is, anyways?”

  


“Dunno...has to be something big, don’t you think? If none of us can call it out.”

  


“I heard it’s holy magic.”

  


“...holy magic? Then that means…”

  


“Yeah. Probably.”

  


“But there hasn’t been anyone since...”

  


Kage licked her lips. Holy magic. Holy magic was the magic of the Ancients. Shit.  _ Shit.  _ She couldn’t decide if this was good or bad. Good in the sense that likely no one here could summon it, but bad in the fact that if they could it would be bad. Very, very bad. They had to get a hold of this thing. Well, Kage needed to get a hold of it so she could get it to Kashoku. Except she’d promised to give any materia to Genesis to vet first. Fine. She’d give it to Genesis and when he failed to do shit with it she’d give it to Kashoku. Yeah. Solid plan. She gave it another few minutes to see if they gave any indication to the summon’s location, but they didn’t. What they did give away was that they knew of the Ancients. 

  


_ Were there others? Had Kashoku only been one of many hidden among the Wutai? _

  


Kage had never stoped to think about the actual possibility, but she couldn’t wait around to listen in anymore. After locating another well and listening in to another pointless conversation she climbed another building to get a better view from the rooftop. There was a building to the north that looked larger and nicer than the others. It was probably where the commanders were living and a good bet that the summon was there. Mapping out her way among the roofs and the barrier wall she started to make her way there. 

  


Carefully hanging down from the rafters she swung into an open window. A guard was staring right at her. Oops. They moved at the same time, but Kage was much faster. She had a blade in his neck before he could raise his spear and was dragging him across the floor to hide him in five seconds flat. “Should probably look in next time.” Giving the room a quick once over she decided she was alone and continued on to the next door. Crouching behind the frame she looked out. Fuck...there were a lot more guards. It was going to be tough to maneuver. Getting comfortable, she decided to take her bets just listening.

  


Twenty minutes in, and she’d heard nothing of use. It was mostly silence. Maybe she wasn’t close enough. Cursing, she looked down at her watch. She only had fifteen more minutes before the hour was up. She gave it another five but there wasn’t shit. With an annoyed huff she readied to make her escape back the way she came until she finally heard voices.

  


“...we were certain that Quang would be the one that could finally pull out the summon, but I’m afraid he failed, too, Commander Guhan.”

  


Guhan. That was the commander of the camp. Kage froze and listened.

  


“We’ve gone through hundreds of our finest magic-wielding soldiers and not one can even get a visual of this summon!?”

  


“No, sir...nothing.”

  


“It must be a dud!”

  


“Can materia even be a dud, sir? Maybe we just -”

  


“Enough! We don’t have any more time! We attack in the morning, summon or no.”

  


Ok, then. Time to move. The summon had to be in here, probably with Commander Guhan. They’d wait until the poison started to take effect and then make a move on it. Maneuvering her way back out of the building she stopped by each of the wells on the way back and dropped in the poison. She made it back to the rendezvous point a minute late. Tseng was already waiting. 

  


“The summon materia is in their primary building to the North,” Tseng pointed.

  


It was the same place Kage had just been. “So I figured. Did you get eyes on? I only heard conversation.”

  


“I did,” Tseng confirmed.

  


Damn, how the hell had he gotten past all those guards without sounding the alarm when she couldn’t? “I heard it’s holy magic.”

  


Apparently, Tseng hadn’t heard that conversation, and a brow raised. “Holy magic? That would be extremely unfortunate for us if they learned to summon it.”

  


“But they can’t,” Kage finished for him. He nodded. “You hear they are attacking tomorrow?”

  


“I did, but it won’t matter. They’ll all be dead by then,” Tseng told her. “It shouldn’t be much longer before-,”

  


Someone nearby started to make frantic choking noises.

  


“Ah, so it begins,” Tseng smirked. 

  


Sounded nasty. “How long?”

  


“The poison is fast acting, but not everyone will have drunk from the well so quickly,” he pointed out. “I would give it a few hours for it to hit the entirety of the camp, or at least, as much as it can hit before they realize what has happened.”

  


A few hours was too long. “We don’t have that kind of time. Didn’t you just say you heard they were attacking at dawn?”

  


“I did but I don’t think they will be attacking any longer,” Tseng told her. “They’ll be too busy either dying, killing each other, or trying to figure out what has happened.”

  


“Or, they immediately blame the enemy and gather up everyone that’s not puking blood or going crazy and attack even sooner,” Kage argued.

  


Tseng paused, eyes narrowing in thought, before dipped his head. “It’s a possibility, though without the summon the General and Commander will likely have swift victory.”

  


“Yeah, probably, but we have a chance to end this before it even starts and make sure our side suffers no casualties,” Kage countered. Believe it or not, poisoning an entire camp had the possibility of weighing on her conscious just a smidge. Knowing she had done it to keep everyone of Angeal’s men alive, though, would make it null and void. Call it selfish. 

  


Her partner was silent for a moment, contemplating their options, but then he finally nodded. “Very well, I agree it’s the best course of action. Given we wish to be swift I suggest we start moving now. If we give them too long they’ll start actively searching for us and I don’t believe the poison would have taken out enough soldiers to give us the upper hand.”

  


Kage agreed. The second they suspected there had been an infiltration they’d be fucked and would have to make a run for it with or without the summon. They needed to swipe the materia and get out now. “I take left, you take right?” Tseng responded by moving. Kage cursed under her breath. If they weren’t careful this would get very ugly very fast. She moved as quietly as she could. Her targets were those that were already wide-eyed watching their comrades choke on their own blood. Couldn’t have anyone raising the alarm too soon, now could they? Leaving a long trail of bodies and blood behind her she headed back to the same building as before.

“...is happening! Soldiers are getting sick all of a sudden! Coughing blood!”

  


“What? Where?”

  


“Everywhere!”

  


Kage watched from the ladder shoot as the soldiers took off at a sprint, all the guards going right along with them. Well, look at that. Now the way was clear. Sliding down the ladder she started to scan the floor for places to look. There’d probably be some shrine, knowing the Wutai. After quickly glancing in a few rooms she found nothing worth digging through until she came across a pair of double sliding doors. Bingo. Sliding a door to the side she was greeted by a large golden shrine with several weapons and other artifacts - a red glowing materia included. 

  


_ Gotcha. _

  


Sprinting up to the altar she picked up the materia. She sucked in a sharp breath. Even she could feel power radiating through her palm. This thing was no joke, whatever it was. Hopefully, Genesis or Kashoku could put it to use for their side. 

  


“Shinra, scum! I should have known!”

  


Kage whirled around, materia in her hand, to see Commander Guhan in a full set of Wutai armor and a really  _ really _ big broadsword. Didn’t look like he’d drank the water. Fuck. Setting the materia back down she pulled out two knives. “Well, I’d be insulted if you thought it was anyone else.”

  


Guhan growled angrily. “I will kill you!” He charged.

  


With all that armor and muscle, Guhan was slow, but Kage knew that all it would take was for her to give him one hit and she’d be fucked. She dodged two swings and got low, kicking his feet out from beneath him and sending him falling to the ground hard. With a lightning fast blow she pierced his leg in a small gap of his armor with her knife. He let out a pained growl and sent a heavily armored boot into her chest. Kage fell back gasping painfully for air. Guhan was on his feet before she was. Air returned to her lungs just in time for her to see the tip of his blade between her eyes. The sword went three inches deep into the wooden floor as she managed to roll to the side with nothing to spare. Using the back of her leg she caught his ankle and took him off his feet again. She let out a cough as she got to her feet, still feeling the blow to her stomach.

  


There was blood.

  


Broken ribs, nice. 

  


Wiping her mouth she adjusted the grip on her knife and with a cry went in for an attack. Raising his arm, Guhan blocked the blade with his bracer and placed his free hand on Kage’s shoulder. Kage’s eyes went wide as a rippling shockwave flowed from her shoulder down to her feet and back up again. There was a crack, a boom, and then Kage was flying in the air. Kage landed twenty feet across the room with a crash into the wall and she gasped for air frantically as the lightning magic continued to send shockwaves down her spine. It was excruciating. Some of the worst pain she’d ever felt. 

  


Guhan grabbed her by the jacket and lifted her up off the ground. “Pathetic.”

  


This time it was a violent gust of wind that hit her right in the broken ribs and sent her into the air. Time seemed to stop as she was suspended. She felt a tear roll down her cheek at the pain and the feeling of helplessness. She had no defense against a powerful magic user. Another gust of wind hit her in the back and she was slamming face first into the ground. Wood broke all around her as she went through the floor and she was paralyzed. 

  


Guhan laughed low and long behind her. She could hear his footsteps approach, but she couldn’t move anything more than her fingertips. “And here I thought you’d put up a fight.” He slammed a boot against her back and all she could do was cry out in pain. A hand moved, but not enough to do anything more than ball into a fist. She could still feel the tingling of the lightning magic left behind. The pain pulsed with each heartbeat. “I’ll send your head back to Midgar to send a message.”

  


A gunshot echoed off the walls of the room.

  


The ground beneath Kage vibrated and she was suddenly staring Guhan in the eye. They were cold and dull with death. She could see the bullet hole between that had gone right through his neck. It was one of the only places not covered by armor. She felt a hand on her shoulder. 

  


“Kage?” It was Tseng.

  


Kage tried to form words with her mouth but she couldn’t. She could taste plenty of copper, though. Tseng gently turned her on her back and she squeezed her eyes shut in pain. How the hell did everything hurt this badly? Tseng scooped a hand underneath her and she suddenly found herself being flung over his shoulder. Oh fuck no.  _ Fuck no!  _ She tried to beat a fist against his back in protest, but no matter how much she willed her hand to move it did nothing more but hang there.

  


With Kage flung over one shoulder, Tseng approached the altar and grabbed the materia, putting down his gun just long enough to pocket it. Kage could only see what was directly beneath her on the ground. It was blood and debris and chaos. She could hear screams and shouts around her. Hallucinations, right. The Wutai were probably killing each other around them. There were a few times she heard Tseng’s gun fire, but she couldn't see against who. Blood dripped down her wrists to the ground and everything started to go fuzzy.

  


As much as she tried to fight it, Kage slipped away into the darkness as the battle waged on around and without her.

  


/*/

  


Kage woke with an aggressive start as she felt a hand on her. Her eyes opened and her wrist was on the arm of whomever had touched her, ready to snap it in two. 

  


“Kage! It’s alright! You’re safe!”

  


She blinked and realized the man she had in her grasp was wearing a trooper uniform with a white band. A medic. She released her grip and the medic was backing up as far as he could away from her in fear. With a sigh she rubbed her temple. What the fuck had happened? 

  


“Leave us.” It was Angeal’s voice. Kage could see out of the corner of her eye as he pulled up a chest that doubled as a chair. “You took quite a beating. How do you feel?”

  


“Like I took quite a beating,” she answered with an angry grunt. “I’ve never met someone who could use magic like that.” Well, she’d never met someone that was on the opposing side that could use magic like that. If Commander Guhan had been that good, she shuddered at the thought of what Genesis could do to her. What even Kashoku could do, if trained properly. Fuck.  _ Fuck!  _ Shifting, she groaned, still feeling the residual effects of the magic in her bones. Her fingertips were still numb. “Not in all my time as a Turk have I been hit by magic like that.”

  


“Commander Guhan is highly skilled,” Angeal hummed. “One of the best. You’re lucky you made it out alive facing him one-on-one. Extremely lucky. What happened?”

  


Kage was about to respond, and then she stopped. “You’re supposed to be at the river leading the attack.” She’d read his OPORD. Both he and Sephiroth would lead the attack and leave one of their highest ranking 2nds to protect the rear. And yet, Angeal was here. 

  


Angeal shifted uncomfortably. “I sent Sephiroth on without me to lead the attack. Just as well, seeing as he arrived to find almost the entirety of the camp dead. Poison, he thinks.”

  


She looked away, feeling the disappointment radiating off of Angeal.  _ You see, Kage? It could never work. This is why it could never, ever, work.  _ “Imagine that. Must have been something they ate or drank.”

  


Angeal drew his mouth into a tight line. “Imagine that. Convenient timing, I suppose...we were able to take over the camp with no casualties.”

  


Yeah. So convenient. At least her consciousness could be clear. “Well, then mission accomplished, huh?”

  


“Kage-,”

  


“Listen, Angeal, I’ve never claimed to be a good person-,”

  


Angeal raised his voice to overpower hers and held up his hands in surrender, “I just want to know that you are alright.”

  


Kage clamped her jaw shut and she met Angeal’s eyes. There was a great deal of concern in them, but she could see the underlying disappointment, too. She would never be what he wanted. Never be what he deserved. “Physically? Yeah. I feel ok, mostly. Mentally? Fuck. Most of the low-life anti-Shinra fucks we face only have materia for show. Just gemstones on a piece of jewelry. Those assholes don’t have a clue how to use it, or if they do, it’s basic at best.”

  


Angeal sucked in a slow and long breath, adjusting his weight. “When you see a summon for the first time, you expect this god-like power. You know ahead of time that what you are about to see is something beyond your comprehension. Though it’s no less impressive, there’s a sense of expectation. When you have that, it doesn’t take you off guard as much. There’s a sense of...preparedness. However, seeing a man wield basic materia in such a powerful way that it leaves you speechless...you aren’t prepared. Nothing can prepare you for that, and it can be true horror.”

  


Kage still to this day hadn’t seen a summon. If a human man could wield such power, what could a summon do? “Do you feel that way when you see Genesis at work?”

  


“Yes,” Angeal answered without hesitation. “There are still days where he scares me with what he can do. Sephiroth, too, though he doesn’t exactly need materia to instill fear. Masamune does that well enough. It makes me very glad that they are on my side.”

  


Maybe Kage should take away Kashoku’s materia, if this is what she could potentially become.  _ Does it scare you more that she could wield such power, or that she could potentially become more powerful than you?  _ “Did Tseng get the materia?” She couldn’t remember.

  


“Yes,” Angeal confirmed. “It’s safely tucked away for you to take back to Genesis. I’m sure he’ll make quick use of it.”

  


Kage wasn’t so sure of that after what she’d heard. “Has there been any materia Genesis hasn’t been able to use?”

  


“Not that I know if,” he answered. “I doubt a summon is what eventually ends his streak. He seems to have those well within his grasp.”

  


Again, she wasn’t so sure of that. If she could openly bet money that Genesis would fail to summon this thing, she would. “Yeah.”

  


Angeal reached out a hand that initially headed towards her face, but he pulled back just in time to place it on her shoulder. “Rest. Cure materia is effective, but it still requires sleep to take full effect. Everything here is under control.”

  


Kage wished he had touched her face. 

  


Even though her mind was in no place to sleep, her body had other plans and she managed to fall asleep the second she laid back down. When she woke again, it was to the eerie feeling of being watched. She opened her eyes, but she was facing the tent wall. Still, she knew who it was. “You throw me over your shoulder again like that and I’ll put a knife between your eyes.”

  


“You’re welcome,” Tseng told her. 

  


Snorting, Kage rolled over. “Alright, rookie, you’re not half bad afterall.” Looks like she could trust him with her back next mission. 

  


For some weird reason, however, Tseng had the slightest tinge of guilt on his face. “We should have given the poison more time.”

  


Sighing, Kage rolled onto her back. “Still no guarantee Guhan would have drank the poison. We knew the risks going into it. I just got my ass kicked. End of story.”

  


“If I had been in your position the results would have been the same,” Tseng told her as he began to pace slowly around the tent with his hands clasped behind his back.

  


Kage let out a snort. “That supposed to make me feel better?”

  


“I’m not sure.” He stopped and looked at her. “Does it?”

  


She looked him up and down before answering. “Yeah, a bit. Nice to hear your cocky ass admit that. But...thanks. I mean it. I’d be dead without you.”

  


“What are partners for.” Tseng dipped his head, an uncharacteristic smile finding its way onto his lips. 

  


Growling, Kage pulled the pillow out from under her head and placed it on her face. “Don’t you dare tell anyone I said that shit to you.”

  


“It’ll have to be in my report,” Tseng told her.

  


Kage peeked out from beneath the pillow with a glare. “You would be the asshole that writes essays for your reports. Can’t wait until you have to write an apology letter.”

  


“I don’t intend to ever have to write one,” Tseng smirked.

  


She raised an eyebrow. “Uh, wasn’t Kalm a massive disaster? You didn’t write one for that?”

  


“You assume Kalm was a failure,” Tseng countered. “My comment stands. I have yet to have to write an apology letter and I don’t intend to ever have to write one. I imagine you’ve written many, however.”

  


“Less than you’d think, asshole,” she scoffed before hugging the pillow against her chest. 

  


Tseng’s smirk held. “It was Director Veld that wrote the apology letter to President Shinra for Kalm.”

  


Ah, well, that made sense, then.

  


“I assisted the General and his men with the clean up at Camp Wuahu,” he told her. “I suggested strongly that they stay away from the wells and stick to the river for their water replenishment. We now have full control of the river and the summon in custody. A win for Shinra.”

  


“A win for Shinra,” Kage echoed with false excitement. “You been in touch with the Director?” She’d be shocked if he hadn’t.

  


“I have. We are to stay behind another week to ensure there are no counter attacks to regain Camp Wuahu,” Tseng told her. 

  


She nodded. It made sense. With a tired sigh she finally sat up and cracked her neck. She still didn’t feel 100%, but she felt good enough to get out of this damn tent. “Ok. Are we packing up here?”

  


“I believe Commander Hewely intends to leave behind some troops in this location, but the primary force is indeed moving to occupy Camp Wuahu.”

  


Kage didn’t really think this location was strategic enough to keep, but if Angeal thought it was, she’d trust him. “Fine. I need some food and some air.”

  


Tseng dipped his head and said nothing else as he exited the tent. 

  


Sighing, Kage finally sat up in the cot and pulled the ponytail holder from her hair to let it down and give it a shake. There was blood matted in the dark strands. Groaning, she threw it back up into a tangled ponytail. It was going to just have to stay like that until they returned to Midgar. Her suit was in an equal amount of disarray with blood spatters and tears. Kage had faced death many times before. Why had this time left her so shaken? Trying to put it behind her she headed for the food tent feeling her stomach growl loudly. The food looked like shit and it tasted only marginally better, but it was food and it was hot. 

  


“Are you sure you should be up?” Angeal joined Kage on the log she was sitting on as she finished up her meal.

  


“If I spend another second in that damn tent someone else is going to be occupying that cot,” Kage told him.

  


Angeal chuckled, “Fair enough. You look like hell, though.”

  


Kage glanced down, finally getting a good look at her clothes in the light. Yeah, there was a lot of blood, though most of it wasn’t hers. At least, she was pretty sure. Hard to tell now that the medic had patched her up. “I admit, could use a shower.”

  


“We don’t have those here,” Angeal told her with a smile.

  


“Yeah, I can smell that,” Kage responded back with a smile of her own. “Guess you get so used to the smell around here that you stop smelling yourself.”

  


“It is something like that,” Angeal agreed. “Now that we have control of the river, though, we have a bathing source. It’ll be a large moral booster.”

  


She could only imagine. “You know what else would be a large moral booster? Better food.” She pulled out the bone in her mouth from whatever it was they had roasted and threw it into the fire.

  


Angeal’s smile widened. “Next time we’re all together, Kashoku and I will make a feast of it.”

  


Kage hummed excitedly. She hadn’t had a proper meal from Angeal, just the sweets he would make her for her birthday and those were amazing enough. His and Kashoku’s cooking powers combined would be a real treat. “I look forward to that. Too bad we might have to wait until Solstice for that.”

  


The smile on Angeal’s face dropped and he nodded slowly, realizing she was probably right. “It does seem like that, doesn’t it? It makes me worry about Kashoku. Not that I don’t think she can’t handle herself or anything, but -,”

  


“Oh come on, she can’t handle herself,” Kage interjected. “And I say that with every bit of love. She loves to start shit and she can’t finish it. I know she knows how to use the materia she has, but she gets scared. She needs one of us to be there, but I don’t think we can be.”

  


“Bravery can be taught,” Angeal told her. “It’s easier, of course, if they have a natural sense to it, but I’ve got a pretty good track record with that sort of thing. I’ll work with her next time I get the chance.”

  


“I keep offering to give her self-defense lessons and she always turns them down,” Kage pointed out, doubting Kashoku would agree to it. 

  


Angeal smiled warmly. “No offense, Kage, but I don’t think you’d be a very good teacher for that sort of thing. It’s probably why she refuses you. I bet I could get her to agree.”

  


Kage let out a snort. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m a fantastic teacher.”

  


“Not everyone responds to threats and corporal punishment,” Angeal pointed out.

  


Kage leaned in and grinned. “Haven’t had a problem so far.” They both laughed and Kage shook her head. “No, you’re right. She doesn’t like to be yelled at and there’s no way I could restrain myself. Fine, she’s officially your problem. Hope you’re ready.”

  


“Challenge accepted,” Angeal agreed happily before he sat back and let his shoulders fall with a neutral expression again. “Are you leaving soon?”

  


“Not for another week,” Kage told him. “Have to make sure there’s no loose ends to tie.”

  


Angeal was silent for a moment and then he asked, “Can I join you?”

  


Kage looked at him in surprise. “You don’t even know what that entails.”

  


“I know,” Angeal agreed, “but my question still stands.”

  


Her eyes widened and her lips parted in silent awe at his response. The look on his face was firm and honest. He meant what he said, despite whatever her mission ended up being. She could already have another hit to go after. Another camp to poison. Someone to torture or kill. He still wanted to be there with her, though, whatever it was. She didn’t deserve it, but she smiled anyway. “Well, then, we better get started. There’s a lot of area to search.”

  


Angeal raised a curious brow. “What are we searching for?”

  


Kage shrugged as she stood. “Dunno until I find it, but likely any Wutai spies trying to recon for a counter attack. Just want to make sure the perimeter is clear.” She couldn’t hold back her laugh when his entire body relaxed at the fact the probability of bloodshed would be extremely low. “Still with me? It’ll be a lot of walking.”

  


Angeal stood and nodded. “Always.”

  


The tingle she still felt from the lightning magic still vibrated beneath her skin, but now, it was joined by something else. 


	7. Chapter 7

**May 1999, Midgar**

  


“This just in, breaking news from the front lines of Wutai-,”

  


Kashoku turned her head from stirring the vegetables in the skillet towards the television. What now? Giving the wooden spoon a tap she set it aside and turned around to give her full attention to the screen. 

  


“Shinra forces have successfully captured Camp Wuahu, an important established camp north of Ruka River. Sources say that several important Wutai leaders were killed and Wuahu was secured with zero Shinra fatalities making it the most successful and likely the most important victory to date-,”

  


Genesis abruptly turned off the television.

  


“Hey!” Kashoku protested, Cait Sith echoing her cry. “I was watching that.”

  


With a tight jaw, Genesis looked over his shoulder from his place on the couch. “Come on, Kash, we don’t need to ruin our evening with war bullshit. You don’t like to hear about it, anyway.”

  


Letting out an irritated huff, Kashoku turned back around to stir the food. He was right. She hated talking about the war more than anything else, especially if it was just another tick in the win column for Shinra. There was also the fact they completely disagreed on the issue at hand. Tucking a strand of hair that had fallen out of her loose braid behind her ear she tried to turn her attention back to dinner. Just as she reached for the spoon she paused. The words the reporter had said - though brief as they were - finally processed. “Why was it the most important win to date?”

  


“Materia stronghold,” Genesis answered, putting down the remote on the coffee table and standing. “They had some pretty powerful stuff that we were able to get our hands on.”

  


Hmm. She supposed that made sense. Even if Scarlet was making materia in the labs, the real deal was always better. “Anything interesting?”

  


Genesis wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and placed his chin on the top of her head. “Materia is always interesting. Looks and smells amazing.”

  


That was not an answer, which made her think there was something of interest. She let it drop. “No thanks to you,” she smiled, pressing back up against him.

  


He kissed her neck. “Hey, I offered to help and you said no!”

  


“Yeah, I don’t want your help in the kitchen, thanks,” she teased him, turning her head for a kiss and receiving it. “Not unless it’s with the dishes.” Giving him a nudge with her butt to move away from her she combined the two skillets into one pot. Despite the momentary distraction, she started thinking about the news again as Genesis started to pull plates down from the cabinets to set the table. “I don’t understand how there were no casualties.”

  


“Kash,” Genesis groaned with a subtle warning, “Come on, let it go.”

  


Turning off the burners, she turned around and crossed her arms. Try as she might, she couldn’t let this go. There was something pushing her in her gut to fight this. “No. Wait. No casualties on the Shinra side, but they killed key leaders. How does Shinra get away with taking control of a critical location and stealing materia without one person dying?”

  


“I don’t know, Kash, there’s a million different reasons! Maybe they surrendered?” He suggested, purposely dancing around answering her. 

  


Kashoku let out a scoff at the mere thought of Wutai surrendering. That had to be a joke. “Yeah. Right. Wutai just magically surrenders one of their most important locations for? What? Also, if they surrendered, why kill their leaders instead of capturing them for information? Wouldn’t that make more sense?”

  


Genesis let out an irritated sigh and set down the plates. “Please. Don’t. Push this, Kash. It doesn’t matter and you don’t need to know.”

  


“But you know,” Kashoku challenged him. “You know what happened.”

  


“Lassie, maybe Genesis is right and you-,”

  


Genesis cut Cait Sith off, placing his hands flat on the table and staring her in the eye. “Of course I know, Kashoku. I’m a First and a Commander. I know what happened, and because I know what happened I’m making the decision that you  _ don’t _ need to know what happened. End of story. I’m serious.”

  


Kashoku’s teeth ground against each other angrily. One side came away completely unscathed, and the other...well. Kashoku had an ugly feeling that the other side had no survivors at all. That it wasn’t just the leaders that had died. It reeked. It reeked of Turk. “What did Kage do?”

  


The twitch Genesis gave in response was telling enough.

  


Spinning back around towards the stoves angrily Kashoku grabbed the pot’s handles but didn’t move it, instead using it as an anchor as her nostrils flared. “They are all dead, aren’t they? All the Wutai soldiers? It’s the only thing that makes sense. How did she do it?”

  


“What good would telling you do, Kashoku?” Genesis asked. “I tell you what happened and then what? Kage is reaffirmed as a Turk and the rest of us SOLDIERs? You remained friends with Kage even after knowing what she’d become, and you knowingly accepted the three of us knowing what we were. Would me telling you what happened suddenly change that? Are you looking for a reason not to trust us, because it kind of sounds like it right now.”

  


Kashoku released the pot slowly, her lower lip trembling. No. It wasn’t that she was looking for a reason not to trust them. It had nothing to do with them. She was looking for yet another reason as to why she was the thing that didn’t belong in their group. Three war hardened SOLDIERs. A seasoned Turk. Then there was her. A coward who once ventured down to the Undercity unafraid as a child and now was too scared to step foot beneath the plate alone. She looked down at her bracelet with the two materia. Useless, just like her. 

  


Carefully, Genesis turned her around and held her face in his hands. “Kash...come on. I don’t want to fight. I...I’m leaving for Wutai in a week.”

  


Kashoku squeezed her eyes shut, hot tears forming at the sudden news. Of course he was. Why wouldn’t he? They already had four - going on five - months together. It was bound to end soon. They’d been lucky to have as long as they had. “When were you planning on telling me? After you’d already packed? When you were already on the train ready to leave?”

  


“No, but I was going to at least wait until after dinner,” he told her. “Something else is wrong. What is it?”

  


Wiping at her eyes, she shook her head. “Nothing. I’m sorry. You’re right, I won’t talk about it anymore.”

  


Genesis’ mouth drew into a tight line as he contemplated pushing the issue, but with a small sigh he relented. “I’m sorry, too. Come on, dinner is going to get cold and I’d hate myself if we let your great cooking go to waste.”

  


Her small smile was forced as she grabbed the pot and set it on a hot pad on the table. “Is Sephiroth or Angeal coming home?”

  


“Probably one or the other, but not right away,” Genesis answered her. “There will be an overlap.”

  


She felt her heart sink at that. Who knew how long the overlap would be. Maybe it was better to distance herself from them for a while. At least until she could figure out just exactly where she fit in in all of this. “Right.” 

  


While she had filled her plate, she barely touched it having lost her appetite. Instead, she mostly fiddled with her braid as she allowed Genesis to drive the conversation responding with mostly sounds or one word answers.

  


“Something else is wrong,” Genesis commented as he picked up her still full plate.

  


Kashoku waited for him to press her, but it had been a statement and not a question. He was simply letting her know he knew and was opening a door. She didn’t take it, choosing to remain silent. It was something she needed to figure out on her own.

  


When Kashoku finally fell asleep in Genesis’ arms she dreamt of an apple orchard. Her hand reached up and plucked a dark purple apple. No, not an apple. A dumbapple. Banora? She’d never been to Banora and the only photos she’d seen were from Genesis’ photo album. Was this really what it looked like, or just what she imagined it to be? Keeping the dumbapple in her hand she followed the trail between aisles towards a bright orange light. 

  


Just as she thought she was about to reach the light, a black feather slowly fell to the ground in front of her and landed by her feet.

  


“All I ever wanted was for him to try one. Just once.”

  


Kashoku spun around to find Genesis, the black wing extended out from his back. He was holding up a dumbapple in his palm.

  


“Who?” Kashoku asked, taking a careful step towards him.

  


Genesis looked at her. “Sephiroth.”

  


Blinking in surprise, Kashoku felt her shoulders relax and she smiled. “Why don’t you just ask him, then? I’m sure Sephiroth wouldn’t mind a trip to Banora. You can all go. Together.”

  


Turning his gaze back to the dumbapple, Genesis squeezed it so hard it burst in his hand. “It’s too late. It’s gone.”

  


“What’s gone?” She took a careful step forward.

  


There was a beat. “All of it.”

  


The juice dripping down his glove turned to fire as it hit the ground and suddenly the orchard went up in flames. Kashoku’s eyes went wide as the fires grew. She could feel the heat of the flame on her skin. “Genesis!” Reaching out a hand she launched forward towards him.

  


A shadow erupted from the ground knocking Kashoku back onto the dirt. A shapeless hooded figure hovered over her. Fear filled her and horrific screams filled the air. With a pained shout she covered her ears. 

  


“Kashoku! Come on!” 

  


Someone grabbed her arm and gave it a tug. The fire and the orchard was gone and there was a peaceful quiet. Kashoku breathed hard as she looked around. It was the garden where she and Aerith met in their dreams. 

  


“Phew! Got you!” Aerith let out a relieved breath as she brushed off her skirt. “I knew something was wrong when I couldn’t find you. That was some nightmare. I had a hard time getting through to you.”

  


Kashoku was still holding the dumbapple. She looked at it and frowned. “I think...another vision, maybe. I was in Banora - Genesis and Angeal’s hometown. It went up in flames and then-,” the shadow and the planet’s screams. 

  


“What?” Aerith pressed curiously, tilting her head far enough her braid fell off her shoulder.

  


“There was a hooded figure that stopped me when I tried to reach Genesis,” she explained. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

  


Aerith hummed thoughtfully. “Maybe it’s a symbol for something? Like, your fear of losing Genesis. Dreams and visions are full of symbols. The planet loves them.”

  


“Could be,” Kashoku agreed. There had certainly been a feeling of fear, but there had been something else, too.

  


It had felt like fate. 

  


Cupping the dumbapple with both hands she smiled at Aerith. “Thanks for pulling me out. How have you been?”

  


With a large grin, Aerith clasped her hands behind her back. “Great! The Turks paid me a visit today! You know what that means!”

  


Kashoku wanted to be excited about seeing Aerith again. Aerith was the one person she could be completely open and honest with, and yet, Aerith was also the person who made her feel the most insecure about herself. Not wanting Aerith to sense anything was wrong, she smiled anyway. “Can’t wait.”

  


/*/

  


With a groan Kage stretched beneath the sheets from her fingertips down to her toes. Despite the healers and cure materia, Kage still felt a little stiff from her venture in Wutai. It felt almost euphoric to crack her bones. Rolling over she checked her phone for any messages from the boss. Nothing from him, but a few other messages from other Turks she responded to before rolling onto her back. There was also a message from Genesis. Kage’s eyes glanced to the box on her dresser that held the summon materia from Wutai. She’d told him about it, but he’d told her to hold on to it until he came back from Wutai with an all caps exclamation to not tell Kashoku about it. Kage reluctantly agreed. She had made a promise. 

  


Well, she did still have her report of Wutai to write up. She should probably get to that. Veld had already sent a displeased message once about it’s tardiness. Rolling over to the other nightstand she grabbed her laptop and opened it, propping herself up against the headboard and raising her legs to act as a table. Opening up her report template her fingers hovered over the keys. Nothing appeared on the screen. 

  


Eh, fuck it, she’d do it later. Tseng had already turned his in so she had at least another day or two before Veld started making threats for it.

  


Closing out the blank report she opened up her browser and headed for the fanclub forums. She could use some entertainment and those stalkers always provided. There was a very heated argument about what shampoo and conditioner Sephiroth used and how long he spent doing his hair. Kage posted the answers she knew to be true and let out an amused chuckle at the discourse she immediately caused. There was a similar argument over on Angeal’s page about his preferred cookware, but she had no clue on that one. Maybe she should pay more attention to the stupid shit just so she could start wars among the fanclubs for fun.

  


The Kashoku and Genesis thread had grown from 82 pages to 203 while she was gone. Planet, she wasn’t gone that long. What the hell had they gotten up to to make it jump like that? Damn, if she was going to go through all these pages she better get some damn tea first. Taking her laptop with her to the kitchen she set it on the island counter and started to boil some water. Once her tea was steeping she finally sat down at the island to go through 121 pages of bullshit. 

  


“Crap...crap...more crap,” she mused as she scrolled through the pages. There was nothing overly juicy. There were tons of photos of Genesis and Kashoku together, most blurry and not worth posting, but they were typical shots of them at dinner or a bar together. Yeah, so what? There were still over half the pages to go, but she needed more tea. Clicking for the next page and waiting for it to load she brought over the kettle and topped off her cup.

  


The picture that popped up had the tea overflowing over the sides onto the counter.

  


Letting out a curse Kage put the kettle back onto the stove and grabbed a towel to wipe up the spill. On her screen was a high resolution image of Kashoku and Genesis in front of a restaurant, but Kashoku was being carried bridal style in Genesis’ arms kissing his cheek. Bright smiles were on both their faces. Stabbing the down error violently several other pictures loaded. A picture of them holding hands from behind, Kashoku’s head leaning against Genesis’ arm. A picture of Genesis feeding Kashoku something on a fork. 

  


Holy shit. A picture of Genesis and Kashoku at the hospital giving out flowers.

  


These were not pictures of two people fucking. These were pictures of two people  _ dating.  _

  


So this was what Kashoku had been afraid Kage had found out back in the library. Groaning, Kage kept scrolling only to find even more incriminating evidence. Apparently, they thought if everyone was away they could play and no one would find out. Did they even realize how obvious they were, or were they both that dumb?  _ Lovestruck idiots.  _ Sighing, Kage chugged another cup of tea. “Dumbasses. Both of you.”

  


Kage didn’t care. Not really. She didn’t have the strong feelings Angeal had against them dating. Did she think it was a good idea? Not in the slightest. Did she think it was the end of the world? Of course not. If it didn’t work out, it didn’t work out like a million other relationships in the world. Big deal. The only thing that worried Kage was if it didn’t work out it could potentially make things awkward in their friend group. 

  


Wait. If things went south it could break all of them up. Dammit. Maybe Angeal’s concerns were valid.  _ Welp, too fucking late for that.  _ All they could do now was pray to the Goddess it worked out. She’d prepare a very convincing shovel talk. One that would ensure they’d never break up under pain of death. Should she tell Angeal or Sephiroth, or wait until they figured it out? Mm, probably the latter. Maybe if Kage told them she knew they’d come clean themselves. Downloading a few of the worst offending photos, Kage sent them to Kashoku.

  


_ Me: Told you I’d find out what else you were hiding. _

  


Kashoku hadn’t responded by the time Kage finished breakfast, showered, and gotten dressed, but that didn’t surprise her much. The younger woman was probably too busy panicking to respond. Knowing she wouldn’t actually get that damn mission report done unless she was in the office, Kage put on her uniform despite technically having the day off and headed to HQ.

  


She finally finished the report in the early afternoon and sent it to Veld. She received an immediate email that simply said ‘Late’. Deleting the email with a forceful click she headed for the cafeteria to settle her growling stomach. The lunch crowd had cleared out, but there were still plenty of employees grabbing their afternoon coffee. Kage grabbed a cup of her own and a sandwich to go. She was already biting into it when she caught Cait Sith’s crown out of the corner of her eye. Kashoku was at a table with several cups of coffee surrounding her, her laptop, and stacks of books. She looked completely disconnected from the world around her. Damn, she probably hadn’t even looked at her phone yet. 

  


When Kage took a seat across from her, Kashoku gasped and quickly closed her laptop as if it held some huge secret. Maybe it did. Or, she had looked at her phone and was purposely ignoring Kage just like she figured. “Relax, I don’t give two shits about you and Genesis. How long have you guys been a thing, though? Surprised you two actually managed to keep it somewhat under wraps. Well, from us, not the rest of Midgar.”

  


Kashoku’s hand was gripping the laptop screen tightly, and she looked ready to flee. “How did you find out?”

  


“Um, hello, did you see the photos? You guys are the least subtle idiots in all of Midgar. Plus,” she shrugged, “Genesis has two fanclubs full of some pretty Turk-worthy stalkers. The two of you are plastered all over their websites and I’m a frequent visitor. You know, for Turk reasons.”

  


Swallowing, Kashoku just nodded and accepted it before slamming her laptop fully closed. That in itself was a skeptical reaction in Kage’s opinion. “Since Solstice, if you must know. Is that all? I’m busy.”

  


“Wow, five months? Impressive.” Kage watched as Kashoku actually started packing up and frowned. Reaching across the table she slapped a hand on the stack of books Kashoku was reaching for. “Oh, calm down and sit. Like I said, I don’t care.”

  


“And I said I’m busy,” Kashoku repeated much more boldly, though her eyes betrayed her confident words. Something was wrong. “And I’m sure you have something more important to be doing. Like committing mass murder, maybe?”

  


What was supposed to be a conversation of friendly banter and teasing had suddenly turned to throwing accusations. Kage felt her nostrils flair and her mood turn ice cold. “What the fuck crawled up your ass?”

  


“Lassie, now really isn’t the time for this,” Cait Sith warned in a low voice.

  


Kashoku ignored him as she continued to pack up her things. “I know what you did in Wutai.”

  


Kage blinked in a moment of surprise, taken back for a second until she realized how Kashoku could have known and let out a low laugh before licking her lips and giving the lower one a bite in agitation. “Of course Genesis would think you being his girlfriend gave him every right to tell you every little secret under Shinra’s army.”

  


“Secret?!” Kashoku stopped shoving books into her bag long enough to frown at Kage. “So it’s all secrets, now?!”

  


Leaning forward, Kage placed her hands on the table and lowered her voice menacingly. “Yeah, Kash, it’s fucking war and news flash - being Daddy’s daughter doesn’t magically give you the security clearance to know about everything we do. In fact, you honestly know way more than you should as it is. You’re lucky Shinra doesn’t have an order out for you. If not for being an Anc - for being  _ you _ \- then for the fact you know way too much internal shit about this company. 

  


Kashoku swallowed hard, jaw clenched. Sucking in a deep breath through her nose she smiled tightly. “Right. Because I’m not one of you. Got it.”

  


“You can’t have it both ways, Kashoku,” Kage fired at her angrily as she stood. “You asked me to watch Sephiroth’s back, and I did. You don’t get to be mad at me for it.”

  


“You’re right, as always.” Kashoku flung her bag over her shoulder and grabbed one of the coffee cups. “I have to go.”

  


“Oh, fuck you, too,” Kage growled angrily, swiping at the empty coffee cups on the table and sending them flying to the ground in various directions. 

  


“Lassie,” Cait Sith tugged at Kage’s jacket. 

  


Kage looked down and scoffed. “What? Run along to your master, cat.”

  


Cait Sith placed his hands on his hips and tapped a foot, tail flicking angrily. “Something is wrong.”

  


“Yeah, her attitude,” Kage huffed, crossing her arms and slumping back into the chair.

  


“I mean it, lassie!”

  


Kage kept up her pissed facade for another few seconds and then let out a long sigh. “Fine. What is it?”

  


“You aren’t the only one she’s tried picking fights with lately,” Cait Sith started. “A week ago it was Genesis and the other day it was - ah, well, I just get this feeling she’s trying to push people away. She even talked about breaking up with Genesis when he returned from Wutai.”

  


Ok, he had her attention. She’d looked at the dates on the posts on the message board. Some had only been a couple of weeks ago. No way someone looking that lovestruck and sappy suddenly decided to break it off. “What was she fighting with Genesis about?”

  


“Well, you, I suppose,” Cait Sith answered. “Genesis didn’t actually tell Kashoku what happened in Wutai, though she pressed rather hard. She doesn’t really know what happened, she just suspects it was you.”

  


Wow, Kage didn’t know which was more impressive - that Genesis actually kept his mouth shut or that the first person her best friend thought of when she saw news of a mass murder was her. “Ok, what about the other fight? You said there was someone else?”

  


Cait Sith let out a noise and placed a gloved hand to his mouth. “It was just a friend, but, some of the things she said...it’s like she doesn’t think she should be friends with any of you any longer.”

  


The small worry that had built inside of her dissipated and she let out a knowing sigh. The sewers had shaken Kashoku’s usually bold confidence even though she tried to hide it. There hadn’t really been any confidence from a fighting perspective in the first place, but Kashoku had always felt big with her mouth. Now, even that seemed in jeopardy. “I had an inkling she was feeling a bit inadequate, but I didn’t realize it was this bad. Don’t worry, I’ve already asked Angeal to help boost her confidence. She’ll get over it.”

  


“I don’t think it’s that simple,” Cait Sith mused, clearly not believing her. “I also know she had another vision. It’s bothering her, too.”

  


Another vision. Kage leaned down closer to Cait Sith’s level. “Do you know what it was of?”

  


“Banora going up in flames,” he answered.

  


Shit. Well, it was a location. That was more than anything she’d gotten before. She’d take anything they could get. “Ok, so I’ll keep a close eye on Banora. I’d offer to talk to her, but she doesn’t exactly seem in the mood to speak with a mass murderer.”

  


“What did you do, lassie?” Cait Sith asked curiously.

  


Kage frowned and narrowed her eyes at him. “Nothing either you or Kashoku would approve of, so let it go little guy.”

  


“Fine, I don’t care anyway! Doesn’t change the fact I’m worried, Kage. Do something!”

  


“Alright, alright, calm down,” Kage held up her palms, “I told you, Angeal will be all over this, but he won’t be back for another few weeks.”

  


Cait Sith punched at one of her hands. “That may be too long, lassie. She’s already in her own head.”

  


“What do you want me to do about it?” She asked. “She’s already pissed at me and I’m literally the worst at motivational speeches.” Cait Sith didn’t really have eyes, not in the traditional sense, but she could feel him glaring at her regardless. “Fine. I’ll talk to her, but no guarantee she’ll listen to a damn word I say.”

  


“You’re her best friend. She’ll listen, even if she doesn’t like what you have to say.”

  


Was she Kashoku’s best friend? Lately, it felt a little hard to tell. “Like I said, I’ll talk to her, ok? Now go on before she starts questioning where you went. Keep looking after her for me when I can’t, ok?”

  


Nodding, Cait Sith turned his back and bounded off at a run towards the elevators, red cape flowing behind him as he moved. 

  


Bringing her hands to her face, Kage rubbed at her forehead and then the sides of her face. She knew what it felt like not to belong. She’d spent the majority of her life feeling that way until she’d met Kashoku. Until she’d met Angeal, Sephiroth, and Genesis. Now more than ever, she felt like she had a home and a family. It seemed almost impossible that Kashoku could ever have those same doubts. The same Kashoku who usually showed no fear of running her mouth in front of the most powerful people at Shinra. 

  


_ But when has Kashoku ever really belonged?  _

  


Kashoku had grown up in a school bullied by the other children. She’d been ostracized by her classmates as an intern and looked down on by her peers as an employee. That didn’t even take into consideration the fact Kage purposely kept her away from Aerith who was the only other person that could likely give Kashoku a sense of belonging. In reality, Kashoku was a really good actor for having made it this far without falling. Didn’t change the fact she was a damn hypocrite. That annoyed Kage more than anything. Kashoku couldn’t one day tell her she’d love her no matter what and the next be pissed for doing her job. 

  


Kage’s stomach growled and she picked up her partially eaten sandwich to take a massive chunk out of. Fuck a day off, she needed a distraction. Scarfing the rest of her meal down and leaving her now cold coffee behind she headed back to the office. Surely, something had something for her to do. 

  


“I’m about to go observe Reno’s first torture session, if you’d like to join,” Rude told her as she asked around for a task.

  


Kage felt her mood shift rather rapidly and she lit up. That was exactly what she needed to get her mind off of Kashoku. “Oh! That sounds very fun. Let’s go.” She walked with Rude to observation room of one of the torture champbers and frowned when she saw Tseng tightening zip ties on a man’s wrists on the screens. “What’s he doing here?”

  


“Boss asked him to observe,” Rude answered as he took a seat. 

  


Of course he did. Fucking brown noser. Kage let out a snort as she grabbed the other free chair and propped her feet up on the console. “Who’s the target?”

  


“Contact for an anti-Shinra group Topside. Haren is his name. He was leading a pretty big sex ring,” Rude answered. “He’s been selling off a lot of top secret Shinra information.”

  


Kage watched as Tseng disappeared and Reno showed up on the screen. The rookie sucked in a slightly nervous breath but quickly turned it into an eager smirk. “You just leave this to me.”

  


It was an instinctual reaction for Kage to snort, although she hadn’t really meant to. Reno was still a newbie and any doubts in his performance hurt his fragile ego. She’d heard he’d been doing well overall, but this was likely his first time taking point in something. Reno was undoubtedly good at stealing and lying, but torturing was its own special talent. Not everyone was good at it. 

  


The door to the observation room opened and she and Rude looked over their shoulders. It was Tseng. 

  


“Are you sure he’s ready for this?” Tseng asked as he took his place in the shadows of the room in the corner. 

  


Rolling her eyes Kage rocked herself back on two chair legs. “Oh come on, if he wasn’t ready for this do you think Veld would have allowed this?”

  


Two fingers rested against his lips in deep thought. “He’s a loose cannon.”

  


“Tch,” Kage responded with an amused snort, “Aren’t we all? Isn’t that what Veld technically pays us to be? Look,” she tilted her head back so that she was looking at him, “If you have a problem with my recruit why don’t you take it up with Veld, huh?”

  


“I’ll reserve judgement,” he said simply.

  


Rude just grunted.

  


With another roll of her eyes Kage dropped the chair and returned her attention back to the screen. Tseng doubted everyone and everything. How could someone like that be second-in-command? Wasn’t a leader supposed to trust their people? Well, whatever. It wasn’t her decision and it wasn’t her problem. 

  


Reno had taken a few moments to circle Haren, tapping his shoulder with his shock rod patiently waiting for him to wake up. “Wakey, wakey,” he cooed, occasionally brushing his rod across Haren’s thighs and biceps. Eventually getting tired of waiting he placed an end of the rod against the man’s crotch and slowly started applying pressure. Haren woke with a gasp trying to clench his legs. “There ya go!”

  


“W-where am I?” Haren began to look around frantically through large green eyes.

  


Chuckling, Reno placed a foot against the man’s crotch and rocked the chair back. “Does it really matter? You’re a prisoner of the Turks, now. You should probably just worry about trying to stay alive at this point.”

  


“I-I don’t know anything! I swe-,”

  


Reno landed a swift blow to his head with his rod, blood painting the collar of his white dress shirt red. “I find it really hard to believe you don’t know  _ anything _ , Haren, you know what I’m sayin? I’m pretty sure you know who it is you’ve been selling Shinra secrets to.”

  


Blood trickled down the man’s temple from where a fresh gash was oozing. “P-please, I really don’t know anything.”

  


Reno straddled the man and wrapped his arms around his neck, crotches grinding against one another. “That’s ok. I’ll wait.”

  


Kage couldn’t help but let out a small snort. She liked his approach. Make the prisoner feel really uncomfortable. Sweat was starting to trickle down the side of his face with how close Reno’s exposed chest was to his nose and lips. Reno wasn’t exactly minding the way his hips wiggled in the man’s lap, either. 

  


“Come on,” Reno encouraged, rubbing his face up against Haren’s, “Tell me a story, Haren. I love a good story.”

  


“I don’t-I don’t have anything to say,” he responded, void of the confidence he was trying so hard to show. 

  


“You sure?” Reno cooed softly against his ear before sticking out his tongue and licking a stripe up the side of his face without the blood.

  


Kage could hear Tseng clicking his tongue in annoyance behind her. She was grinning from ear-to-ear. Rude showed no emotion at all, hands folded neatly in his lap.

  


Haren squeaked and tried desperately to get away from Reno with nowhere to go. “What are you doing!?”

  


“Whatever I want,” Reno said before his cobalt blue eyes went dark and he pulled roughly at the man’s hair, “Kind of like you always do.” With a strong pat to his cheek he smiled, “How about I go first, then? Since you are still thinking on it? You’ll have to bear with me, I’m gonna make it up as I go. It’s kind of less of a story and more of a…,” he tapped a finger absently against his lips before smirking, “ _ Fantasy _ . You have those, don’t you?”

  


“ _ What  _ is he doing?” Tseng asked irritably.

  


“Whatever he wants,” Rude answered with a huff.

  


Kage held up a hand to pause his thoughts. “Let him be. Isn’t the whole point of this supposed to see what he can do? Just because this isn’t how  _ you’d _ go about it, doesn’t mean he won’t still get the information.” 

  


“See, I’ve got this coworker of mine, Kage. Actually, she was the one that recruited me. Black hair, blue eyes, super fucking hot. Oh, she’s Wutai, too. All those exotic features.”

  


Kage’s back instantly straightened. Ok. Hello. That was her. What was he doing?

  


“Yeah, you see, I sometimes have these fantasies about her.”

  


It was Tseng’s turn to hum in amusement, “Should I still let him be, then?”

  


“But don’t get me wrong, I don’t have fantasies about  _ me _ with her,” Reno continued on as if he could hear Tseng and Kage’s conversation in the room. “I like to imagine her with other people. The most obvious one is probably her best friend, Kashoku. She’s a tiny but hot little thing that wears these fantastic tight skirts to work. She’s Wutai, too.”

  


Listen. Kage and Kashoku had fucked around. There was no doubting that, but it made Kage’s jaw clench irritably that Reno might have thought about it, too. Rude raised an eyebrow above his sunglasses her direction and she waved a dismissive hand. 

  


“I can just totally picture Kage eating the  _ fuck _ out of some pussy, you know?” Reno grinned, rocking his hips up against Haren again. “But! That’s not my favorite fantasy. No, no.” Reno leaned back, hands wrapped around the prisoner’s neck to keep him from falling. “Wanna hear it?”

  


“No,” Haren shook his head, brown furrowed and biting at his lower lip.

  


“Then tell me a name.”

  


“N-no, I don’t know anything,” he repeated.

  


Reno hummed before pulling himself uncomfortably close to the other man again. “Guess you’re just gonna have to listen, then.” He shoved himself close enough that Haren’s lips were forced to touch the skin peeking out from his shirt. “Let me set the scene. It involves Kage - naturally - and another co-worker of mine named Tseng.”

  


Kage wasn’t sure if the squeak of surprise had come from her or Tseng. She looked back at Tseng with an amused expression. He was less so. 

  


“They’re both Wutai, so super exotic and  _ hot _ ,” Reno breathed into Haren’s ear for emphasis. “I like to imagine them in our boss’s office. Maybe after a mission gone wrong with emotions high and everyone in need of a little TLC, you know what I’m sayin? She’d get all emotional, he’d be there to comfort her…”

  


“The  _ fuck?”  _ Kage growled, nails digging into her biceps as her arms crossed. If the next words out of this asshole’s mouth were that she ended up crying after sex she would legit cut off more than his dick. If a mission went wrong, being sad would be the  _ last _ thing Kage was. 

  


“Just kidding!” Reno beamed. “They aren’t like that at all. The only emotion Kage knows is anger and Tseng just is void of them completely.”

  


Kage’s fingers flexed out and away from her skin with a sucked in breath through the nose. Ok, he could keep his dick. For now. 

  


“Plus, I’m a huge fan of angry sex, yo,” Reno flashed his teeth, pushing his forehead against Haren’s. “Kage would be pissed. Breaking things, throwing things, and Tseng would just get tired of it and grab her by the neck and just throw her down against the desk, fingers tightening until she finally stilled from her rage.”

  


A spark of electricity shot up Kage’s spine. Fuck. That kind of...the thought of that...She couldn’t help but flick her glance towards Tseng. He was expressionless, as always, but she swore she could see his pupils slightly dilated. She’d be a liar if she hadn’t thought about Tseng that way before but it was obvious Reno had put actual  _ thought _ into it. She spared a glance towards Rude but he was impossible to read behind his glasses as always. 

  


“They’d stare at each other, really intently for a minute, before they’d lean forward crushing lips and clacking teeth,” Reno continued. “It would be a total battle for dominance. Pulling hair and ripping off clothes,” The Turk grabbed hold of Haren’s own locks and pulled hard. “Good thing we get extra suits, huh? Plus, I’ve got plenty of ties people can have.” With delicate fingers he reached up and slowly, sensually, started undoing the knot of Haren’s own red tie. 

  


“Honestly, though, I’m not sure they’d even get off all their clothes. I think Tseng would pull her slacks and underwear down- lace thong? - just enough and whip his dick out and just fucking slide home with one hard thrust,” He jutted his hips forward for emphasis.

  


Kage felt herself be completely thrown aside as Tseng slammed a hand down on the button that allowed him to communicate through the piece in Reno’s ear. “Reno, that’s  _ enough _ . You have a job to do!”

  


Blinking to better adjust her eyes in the dark room she really  _ looked _ at Tseng. His cheeks had a dusting of pink. He was blushing! Kage didn’t even care that Reno had obviously been going through her closet again - because fuck she  _ was _ wearing a black lace thong right now - the fact he had gotten Tseng to react was so worth it. Tseng was acting like a blushing virgin! Was he? Wouldn’t that be some shit?

  


Reno turned his head towards the camera and grinned. “Well, looks like story-time is over. Oh, what’s that?” The redhead looked down at the bulge in Haren’s pants. “You probably want some help with that don’t you?” Without missing a beat Reno backed off of the man’s lap and was instantly falling to his knees and working on unfastening the belt.

  


“No! Gaia, no! Stop!” Haren begged, trying to kick his legs out to dislodge Reno but it did nothing to move him.

  


“Stop?” Reno questioned with an innocent gaze through dark lashes. “You want me to stop?”

  


“Stop! Please!” The man was actually  _ crying _ .

  


Reno’s eyes turned dark and his hand grabbed roughly at the man’s hard-on before springing to his feet and leaning in. “ _ Funny _ , I’m pretty sure that’s what all those lovely ladies were asking you to do before you raped them.”

  


“Swiftchaser! He goes by Swiftchaser! That’s all I know I swear!”

  


Swiftchaser. Kage had heard of him. There had been suspicion for a while about his ties to anti-Shinra groups, but they hadn’t been able to get much more than random drug deals in high-end Topside clubs previously. 

  


Reno licked his palm and started to slowly lower it, his fingers just brushing underneath the man’s waistband. “Are you  _ sure _ that’s all you know?”

  


“We were supposed to have a meeting tomorrow in Sector 3! At a place called Echo Screen!” Reno paused in his movements and Haren let out a huge sigh of relief.

  


With a pat to his thigh Reno stood and backed away grinning ear-to-ear. “Now that wasn’t too hard, was it?” Turning his back he reached into his pocket and pulled out a switchblade, the  _ click _ ringing off the walls.

  


“W-w-wait. I gave you what you wanted!” Haren’s eyes grew wide in fear at the sight of the blade.

  


“You sure did!” Reno spun around and placed a steady hand on the man’s shoulder while the blade began cutting at the fabric around the man’s crotch. “And I’m not gonna kill you. But I’m going to make damn sure you never hurt another woman again with your dick.” With a flick of his wrist he began to carve.

  


“Completely unprofessional,” Tseng hissed angrily as he muted the sound of the screams.

  


Kage snorted, a hand moving to her mouth to try and stifle the giggle that wanted to be let loose. “I mean, he got what we needed, didn’t he? It’s not exactly how I would have done it, but, hey?” Oh, she couldn’t stop herself. “So...you’ve thought about it, huh? Wanna fuck?” 

  


Tseng immediately stiffened. 

  


Rude broke the silence with a heavy sigh as he stood. “I’ll help clean up.”

  


Kage watched him leave, still flashing a larger-than-life grin at Tseng. “Come on, you sure? It could be fun!”

  


“The Shinra Employee Handbook Section 6.3 states-,”

  


“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Kage sprung to her feet and shoved Tseng aside. Planet, that guy knew how to ruin the mood like no one else she’d ever met. “Deuces. It’s my day off, anyway.” She needed to figure out how she was going to talk to Kashoku.

  


Ultimately, Kage decided that her love of direct approach was the best way and she was waiting for Kashoku at her apartment when she came home. Which, for the record, wasn’t until fucking 8’o’clock. Kage should have eaten beforehand. When Kashoku noticed her she dropped her bag and spun around to head for the door.

  


“Kash, come on. I want to talk.” Kashoku stopped at the door, but didn’t turn her back. Kage sighed and stood. “You want to know what happened in Wutai? Would it make you feel better? Would it make you feel like part of the gang if you knew? I’ll tell you, if you really think it’ll make a difference.”

  


Slowly, Kashoku’s hand fell from the doorknob and turned around, her gaze on the ground. “No.”

  


Approaching Kashoku carefully to not spook her, Kage reached out and took her hand. “Come on.” With a tug she led her friend out onto the balcony that overlooked Sector 5. Leaning against the railing they sat there in silence, listening to the sounds of the city, for a few minutes before Kage spoke. “Cait is really worried about you, you know.”

  


Kashoku glanced back towards the living room where Cait Sith was. “I’m not sure why.”

  


“Why do you want to break up with Genesis?” Kage asked, diving right in. “You seemed pretty happy to me in those photos.”

  


Kashoku swallowed hard and licked her lips. “I am happy with him, but…”

  


“But what? Not like you at all to think you aren’t good enough for something,” she folded her hands and really looked at Kashoku. “If you really think you aren’t good enough for Genesis then I’m worried you’ve been poisoned or blackmailed or something crazy. A brick wall is good enough for that guy.”

  


That at least got her a small smile from. “It’s not about being good enough. It’s more like...I’m not part of the right crowd.”

  


Turning around she propped her elbows up on the rail and took a minute to think about her response as she looked up at the sky. “You think you’re someone completely opposite us, but the only real thing that separates you from us is that you’ve never killed anyone before. We all play important roles in Shinra, just in different ways. We’ve all had a hand in this war whether active or passive. You were the start of it, and we’re the end of it. You think you don’t belong because you can’t fight, but that can be taught. I’ve been offering for years and you’ve turned me down, so whose fault is that?” She gave Kashoku a playful kick with her foot.

  


“What if I can’t learn?” Kashoku asked, clearly still doubting Kage’s words. “It scares me - the thought of fighting like you all do.”

  


“Well, Angeal assures me that courage can be taught, too. He told me he wanted to work with you on it, if you want.”

  


Kashoku looked at her skeptically. “You really think that? That he can make me not afraid?”

  


“If anyone can do it, it’s Angeal,” Kage promised. Teaching courage to someone that wasn’t born with it naturally was all about positive reinforcement, and Angeal was king of that. Honestly, if she had tried to work with Kashoku already it probably would have done more damage than good. “Plus, come on, Kash, you have something cooler than any of us! You can speak to the freaking planet. You can create summons! Summons, Kash! If anything, we aren’t cool enough to hang with you.”

  


“What I can do will either get me killed or thrown into Shinra’s labs never to be seen again,” Kashoku countered, looking away.

  


Kage shrugged and nodded her head in agreement. “Yeah, true, but guess what? None of the rest of us can say that, sooo?”

  


“You’re the absolute worst at pep talks,” Kashoku told her with a small laugh. “That doesn’t make me feel any better at all.”

  


All Kage could do was shrug. Hey, she knew damn well she sucked at them. “Don’t break up with Genesis, Kash. Those photos...it was the happiest I think I’ve ever seen you outside of the Gold Saucer.”

  


Kashoku smiled softly. “The Gold Saucer was a lot of fun, wasn’t it?”

  


The most fun Kage could ever remember having. “Sometimes I wish we could go back to those days.”

  


“We should go back one day. With the boys,” Kashoku suggested.

  


Kage looked at her and found a little bit more confidence and smiled. She’d gotten through to her, at least a bit. “Can you imagine Sephiroth at the Gold Saucer? Oh man, him riding a chocobo! I’d pay to see it.” Kashoku laughed and things seemed back to normal, but there was still something that bothered her on a personal level. “Kash, when I became a Turk you told me you didn’t care what I did. That you’d always love me no matter what. Lately...I feel like you’ve changed your mind.”

  


Kashoku sucked in a breath through her nose and crossed her arms tightly against her chest. “No. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for accusing you and doubting you. It doesn’t matter what happened in Wutai. It doesn’t matter what happens moving forward. I’ll always be by your side, Kage. It’s not about you or the boys. It’s about me. I have just been feeling so...helpless and confused.”

  


“I know it’s confusing. You want to feel loyal to Wutai, but everyone you love is on the other side. It is conflicting, and it sucks.”

  


Kashoku let out a soft scoff and closed her eyes. “But that’s just it. I’m not conflicted anymore.” Opening her eyes again she looked at Kage. “I’m on whatever side you all are on.”

  


Kage’s eyes went wide at the confession. She knew it couldn’t have been easy for Kashokut to come to that realization. Maybe what hit her harder was the fact Kage couldn’t have turned her opinion on her own. It had taken the inclusion of Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis to get her there. She wasn’t good enough.  _ It could have just been Genesis, for all you know. You have to compete with him from now on _ . “If you aren’t conflicted anymore, why did the recent shit upset you so much?”

  


“I can know on which side I stand and still hope for less violence,” Kashoku told her. “And it wasn’t just about what you could have potentially done. It’s bigger than that. Whatever it is you did in Wutai...if the President realizes you can neutralize so many of Wutai’s troops with no casualties he’ll want you to do it again.”

  


Kage’s breath hitched. Yeah. Yeah...they’d had that same conversation. Veld had sworn her and Tseng to secrecy. While Sephiroth had reported a possible poison, it had been inconclusive. They didn’t really know what took out the Wutai camp...on record, anyway. It would have made for a quick end to the war. Maybe...no. It was the right thing. “Don’t worry. You aren’t the only one who had that thought. We were...purposeful in what we told the President.”

  


“Ok,” Kashoku nodded, satisfied with her vague answer. 

  


Turning back around to face front Kage gave her neck a crack. “Did you see him off yesterday?”

  


“Mm,” Kashoku hummed in confirmation. “Kind of funny, if you think about it. The entirety of SOLDIER tower knew about us before you.”

  


“Hey, I knew about you two, I just wasn’t aware of the circumstances,” Kage argued. “Pretty good cover story though, making us just think you guys were FWB’s again. Looks like you have learned a thing or two from me.”

  


Kashoku flashed her a satisfied smirk. “Just don’t beat him up too bad. I think Angeal is going to do his worst as it is.”

  


“So you’re gonna tell them?” Kage asked curiously. 

  


“Might as well at this point,” she answered. “It has been five months. Tied for longest relationship I’ve ever had. Imagine that!”

  


Kage let out a snort. “Yeah, and even then, you told absolutely no one until after the fact. When are you going to tell daddy?”

  


“Never!” Kashoku answered. “The great thing about Daddy is, all of Midgar could know that we were together and he could still very well be oblivious to it. I’m happy to keep it that way, thank you!”

  


“Sure, sure, but the second Ruvie finds out she’s going to demand you bring Genesis to Solstice dinner,” Kage told her with a smirk.

  


Kage’s face scrunched up at the thought. “Listen, I really lo-like- Genesis, but I don’t think anyone is ready for that.”

  


Kage’s ice blue eyes went wide and her mouth dropped letting out a loud gasp. No. Way. No way. “You just almost said the L word.”

  


“Like? Yes, I said the L word, which is ‘like’,” Kashoku’s cheeks turned bright red and she quickly retreated back into the living room. 

  


Well, fuck her sideways! This was way more serious than she even realized. Though, hell, it sure as shit looked like it had progressed this far that fast in those photos. Kage followed after her. “You  _ would _ be the kind to say I Love You after five months! What’s next? A marriage announcement at Solstice? That would be so cliche and totally you two!”

  


“I haven’t said I Love You!” Kashoku shouted back at her, grabbing the handle of the fridge and opening it forcefully to reach in for a bottle of wine. 

  


Kage opened a cabinet and grabbed two glasses. She wasn’t going to press about their relationship details originally, but she was pressing now. Turk habits died hard. “Has he?”

  


“No!” Kashoku answered frantically, almost spilling with how quickly she poured. “No one has said anything! It’s just the honeymoon phase or whatever!”

  


“So you are thinking about marriage,” Kage continued to press. There was some enjoyment in flustering Kashoku this badly, but she was also actually interested because she didn’t get it. She really didn’t. “What is it about him? I don’t get the infatuation. His dick can’t be that good.”

  


“I’ve asked lassie the same question,” Cait Sith climbed up onto one of the island seats.

  


“See?” Kage held out her fist and Cait Sith pounded it. 

  


“Not everything is about sex,” Kashoku told her, slamming the wine bottle down a little too hard and flinching in fear that she’d broken it. It was fine. For now. Probably wouldn’t survive another hit like that, though. 

  


Kage laughed as she pulled out the seat next to Cait Sith. “It’s literally been about sex with you two for two years. Two. Years. Aren’t you bored with that dick by now? What’s changed?”

  


With a shaky hand Kashoku raised the wine glass to her lips and took a large gulp, eyes lowered. “....I like waking up next to him. I like having something to come home to. It makes me want to come home instead of spending countless nights at the office. When he’s here in Midgar, I actually come home before dark. Regularly.”

  


Kage dropped her chin into her palm. “Wow. You’re three drinks away from saying I Love You.”

  


“No one is saying anything!”

  


Kage looked down at Cait Sith. “What do you think?”

  


“I think she better find out a way to tell her father sooner rather than later,” Cait Sith answered.

  


“Do I need to remind you he’s made you cry?” Kage pointed out. “Or have you forgotten when you called me frantically over a sex tape?”

  


“Don’t waste your time, lassie, I’ve already brought all that up,” Cait Sith told her. “Like it or not, they’re serious.”

  


Throwing back the entire glass of wine Kashoku’ had poured and holding it out for a refill she grinned at Cait Sith. “Give me all the deets, Cait. She’d opened the door, so you can’t tell me you are sworn to secrecy.”

  


“I don’t know how much I can tell you, lassie. She always just turns me off when -,”

  


“O-k! That’s enough!” Kashoku launched herself over the island counter and slapped her hand across Cait Sith’s mouth. 

  


Kage saw it coming and managed to grab the wine bottle before it completely toppled over and spilled everywhere. “When ya’ll are fucking? Like that’s some big secret, Kash. Fine. Keep the good details to yourself. Either way, I’m happy for you. Really.”

  


Wiping up what had spilled with the same soiled rag Kashoku nibbled at her lower lip. “Really? You mean it? You aren’t just saying that?”

  


It made sense that Kashoku wouldn’t really believe her without true convincing. She couldn’t blame her for her doubts. “I really never cared, Kash. I just agreed with Angeal that it could potentially lead to a bunch of heartache, and we were both right on that. Like I said, he did make you cry.”

  


“And I overreacted,” Kashoku argued. “He didn’t really do anything wrong, and I was just as equally to blame. I’ll have you know that we haven’t fought once!”

  


“That’s not true!” Cait Sith piped up again. “You two fought when he found out about Carbuncle!”

  


Kashoku grabbed a knife and pointed it threateningly at Cait Sith with angrily puffed cheeks. “Whose side are you on?!”

  


“To be fair, Genesis was really mad at me for that, not Kashoku,” Kage said in her friend’s defense, “but that is rather impressive if that’s the only tiff you two have had. Well, like you said, honeymoon phase. That’ll all change!”

  


This time, it was her that Kashoku was pointing the knife at before slotting it back into its place. “Promise me you won’t send him death threats, at least.”

  


“That’s a negative,” Kage answered her. “I would not be your best friend or a Turk if I didn’t threaten death. But like you said, I’d worry more about Angeal than me. He was the one that was so against this.”

  


Kashoku let out a hum as she slotted in next to her friend at the island. “You know...maybe Angeal wouldn’t be so worried about Genesis and I if he had his own relationship to worry about.”

  


“Yeah, probably,” Kage agreed, purposefully ignoring what she’d meant because she absolutely didn’t want to talk about that right now or ever. “Why don’t you find him a nice girl, then? To take the heat off of you two.”

  


With an annoyed huff Kashoku crossed her arms and leaned forward on them. “I was really scared, too, at first. I actually told Genesis no when he asked me to take things further. I’d bought into what you and Angeal were selling about us.”

  


“So what changed your mind?” Kage asked, pouring more wine even though she hadn’t emptied her glass yet.

  


Kashoku smiled at her. “Nothing worth fighting for is ever easy.”

  


“I know you Turks don’t think it, but even you lot deserve happiness, lassie,” Cait Sith added. “Everyone does.”

  


Kage let out a huff and took a sip. Boy, suddenly she was the one that felt ganged up on. She and Angeal were a bad idea. End of story. Just like Kashoku and Genesis were a bad idea.  _ And yet, they did it anyway and look how happy they are. _

  


Kage’s answer was still no, but maybe….it was a little less resounding. 

  


“Cait told me you had another vision,” Kage said, abruptly changing the subject. “About Banora?”

  


“Yes,” Kashoku confirmed, “Or at least, what I suspect is Banora. Don’t know anywhere else that grows dumbapples.”

  


Kage nudged her with her elbow. “That’s good news, though, right? A location is more than anything else we’ve gotten.” Kashoku didn’t seem as enthusiastic about that as she was. “Was there something else?”

  


“What if whatever is supposed to happen is...fate?” Kashoku asked.

  


It was ill-timed, but she snorted anyway. “Fuck fate. I don’t believe in any of that shit. We make our own destiny.”

  


“Do you think it’s possible? To defeat destiny?” Kashoku asked, face full of doubt and disbelief. 

  


Unable to keep her gaze Kage looked down at the center of her drink. She had no clue about fate, destiny, or any of that. Whether it was real, and if it was, if it could be stopped. What she did know, is that she had to keep the hope alive. For all of their sakes. 

  



	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So just a quick note, while Losha and I have had fun incorporating a lot of Remake elements, one thing we won't be following is Immortal Tseng who has been forever 15. It's been pretty apparent already, but we are definitely going with the BC/CC route where Tseng joined later and wasn't the first Turk to find Aerith.

**Late May 1999, Wutai**

  


_ Kash: Secrets out...well. If you could really call it that. Anyways, Kage knows. _

  


Genesis didn’t have constant access to a network and a PHS in Wutai, so he had no idea how long ago the message from Kashoku had been sent to him, but it filled him with dread either way. He knew they couldn’t keep it a secret forever, and there would never be a good time to come clean, but it still felt way too soon to tell their friends. If he were honest with himself, though, more people knew than didn’t. All of SOLDIER tower knew and so did his fan clubs. Shit, his fan clubs. The fan clubs his parents funded. Fuck. How long before he got that phone call?

  


_ Kash: Maybe we should just tell everyone? We can’t go on like this forever. _

  


_ Kash: Anyways...I hope you are ok. I miss you. _

  


He wanted to tell Sephiroth and Angeal, but the thought terrified him. It terrified him far more than clashing swords with any Wutai soldiers lurking out there. War was much easier than coming clean to his two best friends, but Kashoku was right. With Kage knowing, it wouldn’t be long before there was a trickle effect and Angeal would be even more pissed if it wasn’t Genesis who told him. 

  


_ Me: We’re all ok. I miss you, too….and yeah. I’ll tell them. _

  


“Are you alright?”

  


Genesis’s head shot up as Angeal addressed him. “Huh? Sorry. Just a lot going on. I can’t stop worrying about what counter attack is coming our way.”

  


“I know,” Angeal sighed, crossing his arms. “It’s coming, that’s for sure. Every day that passes without one makes us all the more restless.” 

  


“Nothing new from the scouts,” Sephiroth said. That wasn’t surprising. Whatever the Wutai were planning would be quiet and carefully guarded.

  


Angeal let out a concerned hum. “Did Kage give you the summon we recovered?”

  


“I told her to keep hold of it until I got back. I didn’t have time to figure it out,” Genesis answered. “The battle field is not the time to be testing new summons. Don’t worry, Ifrit and Bahamut are on me.” To control a summon in battle, though, he needed a clear and focused head which he didn’t have. “There’s something else on my mind. Something I need to talk to you two about.”

  


Sephiroth raised a curious eyebrow. “Should we take this to the command tent?”

  


“Yeah,” Genesis swallowed hard, the knot catching on the way down. That probably made it sound way more serious than it was, but...well...it was serious, dammit. It just wasn’t war serious and they didn’t need rumors circulating around the camp. The SOLDIERs and troopers here in Wutai weren’t rotated like the Firsts were. They’d been here a long time. They didn’t know like those back in Midgar.

  


Angeal closed the flaps behind them as they entered the tent and turned on the lamps for light. While Sephiroth looked curious, Angeal looked very concerned. “What’s wrong?”

  


“Well, nothing’s wrong per say,” Genesis started, scratching the back of his head nervously. Shit. He really wasn’t ready for this, but would he ever be? Sucking in a breath he placed his hands on his hips and rolled his shoulders back trying to give himself confidence. “There might be something I’ve kind of been keeping a secret from you two.”

  


“You aren’t usually one for secrets,” Sephiroth pointed out casually.

  


Genesis let the underlying ‘you have a big mouth’ comment slide. Now wasn’t the time to get into one of their tiffs. “I am when everyone is against what I want to do.”

  


“Actually, that’s usually when you are at your worst. It’s never stopped you before,” Angeal said, his frown growing ever larger. “What’s going on, Gen?”

  


Goddess, if he just didn’t come out and say it he never would. Sucking in a deep breath through his nose he let it vomit right out, “Kashoku and I are dating.”

  


Angeal went stiff and silent.

  


Sephiroth tilted his head, expression unchanged. “I didn’t realize that was a secret. While I assumed it was simply sexual because that’s what you told us, this is hardly a sudden revelation. Angeal?”

  


Angeal had the biggest frown and crease between his brows that Genesis had ever seen and that was really saying something for someone who was always sporting a frown and a crease between his brows. “I need you to define ‘dating’ for me. Are you saying this is no longer ‘poor choices after a long night drinking dating’?”

  


Genesis audibly gulped and let out an uncomfortable cough. “Um, yeah, no, it hasn’t been that for a hot minute.”

  


“Again, I don’t find this surprising,” Sephiroth sighed, clearly bored by the conversation. “I always thought your refusal to become a couple confusing and nonsensical. Why, though, did you feel the need to attempt to keep it secret when it was already a poor one?”

  


Genesis pointed to Angeal who still looked like he might kill someone. Specifically, him. There was also Kage. And Reeve. And Ruvie. Definitely Reeve, though.

  


“How long?” Angeal asked sternly.

  


“Solstice,” Genesis answered, feeling very much like a caught child being scolded by their parents. 

  


Angeal unexpectedly softened. “...that long?”

  


Genesis’ mouth parted with hope. “Uh, yeah? With you both gone and Kage out of the loop most days, I can count on one hand how many days we’ve actually spent apart since then. Sometimes, it was just coming home to each other and nothing else, but that was enough.”

  


“I’m glad that you are both happy,” Sephiroth said, surprising Genesis. He was usually the one that had nothing to say. “I hope that you don’t feel the need to keep secrets in the future.”

  


“Thanks, Seph,” Genesis smiled softly sincerely, but Angeal had yet to offer such words of support.

  


“Sephiroth, can you please leave Genesis and I alone?” Angeal asked.

  


Shit. 

  


Sephiroth looked confused, but didn’t question the ask. With a dip of his chin he exited the tent.

  


“Can you just scream and get it over with?” Genesis asked, closing his eyes as he expected the worst.

  


“Is it real?” Angeal asked.

  


Genesis pried his eyes open blinked in confusion. “What? Is it real? Are you kidding? That’s the question you ask?”

  


“I love you like a brother, Genesis, but I also know you. I’ve known you longer than I’ve known anyone else other than my own parents. You do things that are convenient for you, even if it hurts others. So, is this real?” He asked again.

  


Locking his jaw, Genesis thought of all the things he could say to Angeal. All the reasons he could give that Angeal should believe him and the proof he was serious. None of it compared to just simply saying with wet eyes, “I think I love her.”

  


Angeal sucked in a breath and closed his eyes. “We all told you not to let this happen. That it could only end in disaster, and yet neither of you listened to us.”

  


“And yet it’s been six months and there’s been no disaster,” Genesis countered angrily. “What’s your reasoning now?”

  


Opening his eyes, Angeal stared Genesis down. “Sure, there’s been no disaster because it’s been a secret. What happens when the world finds out? Other SOLDIERs who see you dating a Wutai girl? When Kage finds out? When her father, who already hates you, finds out?”

  


Genesis didn’t expect the anger building in his stomach, but it was there and burning hot. “Maybe if you weren’t so fucking busy focusing on all the reasons we can’t, you’d open your eyes to all the reasons we can. Don’t put your damn projections on me. I decided to not be a coward. When will you?” It was a low blow and Genesis knew it, but he was happy, dammit. He wasn’t going to let Angeal’s inability to find happiness ruin his own. Maybe, just maybe, him taking the step would encourage him to take a step.

  


Angeal knew he’d been called out and he looked away. Genesis felt guilty even though he didn’t regret what he said. He watched Angeal adjust his weight uncomfortably and stroke his short beard a few times. “Have you told her?”

  


“No,” Genesis confessed, finding himself calming down knowing he’d struck a hard nerve with Angeal. “I’m scared shitless to tell her.”

  


“You should.”

  


Genesis’ eyes went wide and he felt angry again. “ _ You _ were the one who fought so hard against the idea of us dating.  _ You _ were the biggest reason Kashoku and I were afraid to tell anyone. Two seconds ago  _ you _ were reminding me of all the obstacles we still have to face and more or less said it’ll never work and to call it quits.”

  


Angeal let out a heavy sigh and started to pace. “It’s very apparent that you continue to do what you want to do despite my warnings. It’s also very clear that we are long past my opinion. You are my brother, Gen, but Kashoku is my sister. If you love her, tell her. Stop keeping her a secret and treat her the way she deserves to be treated.”

  


Genesis crossed his arms and tilted his head. He was having a hard time believing his sudden change of heart. “Do you really mean that? Sorry if I don’t quite believe it.”

  


“That’s fair,” Angeal acknowledged, stopping his pacing. “I haven’t been supportive. I never thought it would get to this point, and I’m sorry. If I had realized you two were serious...well..nevermind, I’d still feel the same, if we are being honest with one another.”

  


Genesis couldn’t help but laugh and ran a hand through his hair. “Well, at least I know that’s true. Can we have your support now, though? I think we’ve proved we can do it.”

  


“Six months is hardly enough time for a marriage proposal, but it’s a good start.”

  


“Bullshit, I’d ask her to marry me tomorrow,” Genesis blurted out before realizing he was saying it. 

  


Angeal’s eyebrows shot up far enough they met his hairline. “Don’t.”

  


“Fine,” Genesis agreed before adding, “I’ll wait till Solstice. Our one year anniversary.” It was a joke….maybe.

  


Angeal let out an exasperated sigh. “You do what you want, anyway.” Lifting his gaze, he finally looked right at Genesis. “I guess this explains why you fall asleep with a photo of Kashoku in your hand in the field.”

  


Genesis felt his eyes bug out and even though he was steady, he felt like falling over. “Wait, you  _ knew!? _ ”

  


“I very much blissfully ignored it and thought otherwise, thank you,” Angeal answered. “I continued to allow myself to think it was just sexual, like Sephiroth. Lie to yourself enough and you start to believe it.”

  


With an angry groan Genesis stepped forward and gave his friend a kick against the ankle. “Fuck you. But, you know,” it was his turn to turn the table, “I meant what I said. Take a page out of our book. Stop looking at the roadblocks and look at the alternate route.”

  


“It’s a little different situation,” Angeal countered, gaze to the floor.

  


“Is it?” Genesis asked. He reached into his coat and pulled out a handful of photos. He always carried them with him and had copies on copies. Sifting through them he grabbed one of the group and tore it in half. He handed the part of the photo that was just Kage and Angeal. Well, part of Sephiroth’s hair made it in, too. “Now that you guys know, I’m not afraid to tell anyone she’s my girl. That includes Reeve. I mean, shit, he already hates me. Nowhere to go but up, yeah?”

  


Angeal hesitantly took the photo. “Nowhere to go but up…”

  


With a smile, Genesis let out a huge sigh of relief. “Man, that’s been eating me up for a while. Glad the cat is out of the bag. Your turn.” He clasped Angeal’s shoulder before giving it a pat and leaving the tent. Telling the truth really felt freeing and shit. He really did feel like proposing tomorrow. It was probably a good thing he was in Wutai and unable to act impulsively because boy, did he love to act impulsively. 

  


_ Me: We’re all good...everything’s fine. It’s all fine...and I can’t wait to see you again. _

  


/*/

  


**June 1999, Midgar**

  


“Reports have started to pop up in several other cities, but now there are whispers of them here in Midgar,” Veld said as he slid a manilla folder forward on the desk. “An Anti-Shinra group that is rumoured to be funded by Wutai. We know very little about them at this point, and aren’t even convinced the factions are related.”

  


Opening the folder, Kage took in the photos curiously. None of them looked Wutai, but that didn’t mean shit. The ones that did look Wutai likely would be a lot more careful in not getting caught. “Undercity?”

  


“Yes,” Veld confirmed. 

  


“No proof of their connections to Wutai?” Tseng asked, looking over Kage’s shoulder.

  


“No,” Veld responded, “just strong suspicion. Or at the very least, that’s what the group wants us to think. It could simply be anti-war protestors. Either way, they pose a potential threat to Shinra, which is why I’ve pulled you two in to investigate further.”

  


Kage drew her lips into a fine line. Great, another undercover mission. Not her cup of tea by any means. “So we go undercover in the Undercity, draw them out, and learn what we can before taking them out?”

  


“Tseng will go undercover,” Veld corrected. “You are too well known in some sectors and I’d rather not risk it. We may not take them out. Not just yet. Let’s see what we can learn, first.”

  


Kage tried hard not to look too excited at being told she wasn’t playing dress up. “Ok, so what’s my role?”

  


“If Tseng’s character has pressure on him by a Turk, it’ll be more convincing for his story.”

  


Nice! The muscle. Right where she belonged. “Understood. Hot sectors?”

  


“No solid intel on where they are operating out of,” Veld answered. “They may not be big enough yet to have a true home base. You’ll need to investigate all of them.

  


Damn, this wasn’t going to be a short one, was it? “Ok. You ready for a long stake out?”

  


“I am,” Tseng confirmed. “Do we have a way in?”   
  


“While they are certainly against the war, an interesting trend we have found is that they appear to be eco-terrorists against the reactors. We’ve printed out fliers for you to start posting around the train stations. I believe that will be enough to draw attention.”

  


“Being Wutai will draw enough attention on it’s own,” Kage pointed out. “Play up being an angry war refugee pissed off about putting a reactor there and you’ve got it all covered.”

  


Tseng nodded. “A solid character. Observation only? Avoid conflict at all costs?”

  


“For now,” Veld confirmed. “Once we learn more about them, we can decide how to proceed. Until then, let’s not start any fights.”

  


“Guess you better ditch the suit, then,” Kage told him with a smirk. This would be a long and hard mission, but it would undoubtedly be far more fun for her than him. 

  


Tseng hardly seemed fazed. Maybe this was his idea of fun and she had it all wrong. “Should we take different trains down?”

  


“Naw, I’ll ride a different car, it’ll be fine,” Kage told him. “I’m going to hit up the armory. Find me when you’re ready to go.” Tseng dipped his head and backed up a step before turning around to leave Veld’s office, hands clasped behind his back as they usually were. Kage waited behind a second because Veld almost always had something else to say for her. He said nothing, ignoring her in favor of returning to paperwork. “What? No secret side gig? No ‘How’s Kashoku doing?’”

  


“I have nothing else for you, Kage,” Veld said simply, a hint of amusement in his voice. 

  


Kage huffed and uncrossed her arms. “Sounds suspect, but ok.”

  


“Focus, Kage,” he told her. “This is not an apology letter I would want to write.”

  


“Noted,” she said simply before turning her back and walking out. It was a little strange to Kage that Veld hadn’t asked for any updates on Kashoku recently, but a lot had been going on. Maybe it just wasn’t on the top of his radar. Whatever the reason, Veld knew exactly what he was doing so there was no point in dwelling on it. 

  


Kage picked out a few more throwing knives and a few smoke bombs for good measure. She would potentially need a quick way to bail Tseng out without hurting him too bad. Kage did pick the ones that would make Tseng’s eyes burn the most, though. Was it payback for him throwing her over his shoulder in Wutai? Maybe. Yeah, he might have saved her life, but she was still pissed about it. 

  


“I’m ready,” Tseng announced as she was loading up the top of her boot with the final set of knives.

  


Looking over her shoulder she gave him a once over. He wore ripped jeans and a worn hoodie with his hair down. It was just shy of brushing his shoulders. “Look at you, a regular Undercity resident. Looks good. You’ve got the fliers?”

  


“I do,” Tseng confirmed. 

  


Kage nodded. “You need anything from in here?”

  


“I’m sufficiently armed,” Tseng answered her, irritated at the question.

  


“Just checking, geez. Ok, let’s go.”

  


Once the train arrived, Kage entered two cars over and inserted her earpiece. She pulled out an extra strand of hair from her ponytail to cover it fully. It had enough enough range to cover almost a full sector, so she could remain a safe distance without fucking up Tseng’s cover.  _ Gotta love Shinra technology, sometimes. _ When they arrived at Sector 7’s station Kage waited until everyone else was off and then casually made her way off the train and down the stairs. 

  


“Mic check,” she spoke as she shoved her hands in her pockets and headed for one of the food trucks.

  


“Check,” Tseng responded in her ear.

  


Ordering herself a nice steam bun she found an empty bench and set up shop. While Tseng went around the sector, she could overhear a lot of shit on her own here at the train station. People loved to hang around and chit-chat when they shouldn’t. After two hours and two laps casually around the station, Kage hadn’t heard anything of interest on her end or Tseng’s.

  


“No one has given me much of a second look around here,” Tseng told her through the earpiece.

  


“Ok, head to Sector 8. I’ll be right behind you,” Kage instructed.

  


Tseng paused. “Not 6?”

  


“I really don’t think anyone would be stupid enough to pull this shit right under Corneo’s nose,” Kage told him. “Though, maybe I’m giving these guys too much credit. We’ll hit it later.”

  


While no one approached Tseng directly, there were a lot more eyes on him in Sector 8. Posting the fliers had actually elicited a reaction out of the locals, unlike in Sector 7. Kage watched closely from a distance, but no one made any obvious moves. Quiet whispers asking who the new guy might be, but nothing concrete. Still, it was worth tagging the sector as a possible hit.

  


“We should return here later,” Tseng told her.

  


“Let’s give it a few days to stir up some conversation,” Kage recommended. “It’s getting dark. We’ll hit up more sectors tomorrow and revisit this.”

  


“Agreed,” Tseng acknowledged.

  


It really hit Kage how long and annoying this was going to be when her head hit the pillow. Even if they got an early start tomorrow, they’d hit three sectors at most. That meant at least two more days combing the sectors, and that was assuming nothing went wrong which was a horrible assumption. But you also couldn’t just visit each sector once. Oh, no. What if they had been in a sector at the wrong time on the wrong day and missed contact? Not just that, but going back to observe what happened to the fliers Tseng put up would be a huge indicator. Taken down or tagged? Likely something going on. From there, they’d pick the possible hot spots and spend longer days at each sight until they had something more concrete. Who knew how long that could take. With an annoyed groan, she sent Kashoku a quick text. There’d be no social calls for a while. 

  


Rolling over on her side, Kage dreamt that something went horribly wrong for her sanity’s sake. Weeks of sitting on a train station bench would just suck.

  


/*/

  


“Are you sure you forgive me?” Kashoku asked, still feeling guilty about their last meeting and how she’d snapped at Aerith over her own insecurities. They’d met several times since then in dreams, but this was the first time back in person and Kashoku still felt the need to apologize.

  


“Pretty sure! Especially since I was never upset with you in the first place,” Aerith told her with a bright smile. “Are you feeling better, now?”

  


Kashoku let out an unsure sigh. “Yes and no? I still doubt myself about so many things, but I keep trying to remember the support I have and that my friends are my friends no matter what. Kage said Angeal wants to help me with my confidence and fighting skills. We’ll see how that goes when he gets back from Wutai.”

  


“You’ll be great!” Aerith assured her. “Have you heard from Genesis at all?”

  


“Mm, I heard from him a few weeks ago. He’s ok,” Kashoku answered her as they headed for the back alley. “He apparently told Angeal and Sephiroth about us and said it went ok, but I’m kind of nervous to face both of them when they come home. Genesis didn’t go into specifics, so I wonder what they both really think about it all.”

  


“It was well overdue, lassie, and I’m sure it’ll all be fine.” Cait Sith commented. “Once they see how happy you two are, it won’t matter what they think. Plus, keeping it hush-hush was getting exhausting.”

  


It was. Kashoku could admit that. “I do feel a bit relieved, but we haven’t told my dad and grandma yet, so there’s definitely still a big obstacle.”

  


“Well, worrying about it won’t help anything,” Aerith pointed out. “You should just come out and say it. Your dad may not be happy at first, but it's just like Cait said. Once he sees how happy you are, he’ll change his mind. ”

  


Kashoku laughed nervously, “You clearly don’t know my dad, but I love your optimism. Daddy is pretty grumpy by nature, though I can’t blame him. He has a tough job and never takes any time for himself. I wish he’d take some time off, but he hasn’t since I was young. I know Grandma will love Genesis. She’d love anyone I brought home, I think, especially since she’s been waiting for years. Every Solstice she asks if I have a boyfriend.”

  


“She’ll knock some sense into your dad for sure, then,” Aerith said confidently.

  


Well, they’d find out in a few months. She had every intention of bringing Genesis home to Ruvie for Solstice dinner, whether she’d told Reeve or not.

  


They slipped their way through the two cut fences and into the back alley. Kashoku barely saw them in time to grab Aerith’s hand and pull her back towards the train station with a panicked gasp. It was Kage and Tseng. What were they doing down here!? Hiding behind a wall she peered out. Kage was in uniform, but Tseng wasn’t. She barely recognized him with his hair down and in torn up clothes. He fit right in with the Undercity residents.

  


“What’s wrong? Who are they?” Aerith asked, keeping her voice low. She had caught on quick that something was up without needing to ask. 

  


“That’s Kage,” Kashoku answered.

  


With a curious gasp, Aerith peered over Kashoku’s shoulder. “Oh! So that’s Kage! Who’s the other person?”

  


“Another Turk,” Cait Sith answered. “They must be on a mission. We should leave, lassie. We don’t want to be caught by them. If it was just Kage, that would be one thing, but that Tseng is not one for bending rules.”

  


Kashoku couldn’t agree more. Kage had mentioned more than once how Tseng was by the book. She didn’t know if he knew about Aerith, but she wasn’t willing to risk it. “I don’t know why they are down here, but Cait is right. We can’t stay here. The church isn’t safe right now.”

  


“You don’t think they are looking for us, do you?” Aerith asked, a frown finding its way onto her normally excited face. “Cissnei was here two days ago!”

  


She shook her head. “No. Kage wouldn’t lead another Turk to us, no way. I don’t think they were headed to the church. They are just using the back alley to talk privately. Plus, she has no idea I’ve been coming down here. Let’s keep it that way.” Kashoku spared another glance and found herself frowning even more. “This is the like the fifth time I’ve seen Kage with Tseng. I guess she and Rude aren’t partners anymore.” Kashoku wondered why Kage wouldn't’ have said anything, but then again, why would she? She had always been curious about Tseng since the first time she saw him in Kalm, but he also scared her more than Rude did for reasons she couldn’t explain. 

  


“Come on, I know a way back to town around the train station,” Aerith tugged at her hand. “Oh, there will be monsters, though.”

  


Kashoku sighed and drew her lips into a tight worried line. Monsters were better than being caught by Kage, she guessed. “Ok. We’ll deal with it.”

  


While the monsters were gross and disgusting, Kashoku found them rather easy to deal with. Aerith’s courage also rubbed off on her, and she became more confident with her materia as they travelled. They made it to the center of town in one piece where the large tower of rubble resided with a large screen that broadcasted SNN. It was the same tower she’d seen go up in flames in her vision months ago. There were no signs of a fire, now.

  


“Wow, Sector 5 really is so different from other sectors of the Undercity,” Kashoku commented. There was so much green. Nowhere Topside looked like this. “Is there somewhere we can go?”

  


“We-ll,” Aerith clasped her hands behind her back and gave the ground a kick with her boot. “There’s always my house!”

  


Kashoku let out an unsure sigh. “Aerith, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  


“Oh, come on! If Kage really would do her best to keep the other Turk away from me, then what better place to be than my house?” Aerith argued. “We don’t know why they are here, so they might run into us anywhere else we go!”

  


“I don’t like it either, lassie, but she has a point,” Cait Sith agreed. “Just no Ancient talk!”

  


“No Ancient talk,” Aerith agreed, holding up a hand in promise. 

  


Reluctantly, Kashoku agreed. There wasn’t a better option at this point, and Kashoku couldn’t afford to hang around the station waiting on a train to leave knowing Kage was just around the corner. “Alright. Let’s go.”

  


“Yay!” Aerith jumped up excitedly, her yellow bow bouncing with her movements. “Follow me!”

  


Aerith led Kashoku and Cait Sith through the homes and businesses of the sector where all the walls seemed to be covered in vines of green. They came to a clearing where a building was covered in flowers, a moogle mural made entirely out of plants staring her down.

  


“What is this place?” Kashoku asked in awe. It seemed so out of place among the Undercity at first until you really looked close and noticed all the broken boards and rotting. The windows had cracks and holes that looked like they had come from bullets, but it all seemed masked by the beauty of the plants.

  


“Oh, that’s the orphanage,” Aerith answered. “Sector 5 is kind of a sanctuary, you could say. We have an orphanage and a community center for the elderly. It helps to keep things quiet around here.”

  


It was really like a slice of heaven in the Undercity. Everyone really came together to help one another despite their circumstances. No one was motivated by greed or status. It was a true community. “Everyone down here seems happy.”

  


“We are,” Aerith confirmed. “Everyone in Sector 5 is cared for. We don't have much, but we have each other. I know a lot of people hate the Undercity, but I don’t. How could I? It gave me my freedom.”

  


Kashoku understood Aerith’s point of view. She didn’t need to be locked up in Shinra’s laboratories to know that anything would be better than that. “Living Topside has its perks, but a sense of community definitely isn’t one of them.” 

  


“The mural looks like it could use some touch up. We should bring some flowers back and fix it up later. Come on! My house is just through here!” Aerith grabbed her hand again and led her up a path past the orphanage. 

  


They passed by a broken down truck on the left and an empty corral on the right before they came through a clearing and the sound of rushing water filled Kashoku’s ears. They stepped onto a small wooden pier and Kashoku found herself gasping in awe. It was beautiful. More than beautiful. If there really was a Promised Land, this must have been what it looked like. Aside from the flourishing garden, there was a waterfall and flowing stream of clear and unpolluted water. The three-story home was small but well constructed and had more character than anything she’d seen Topside. 

  


“This is amazing,” Kashoku breathed in disbelief. It made her own garden in Ruvie’s backyard seem insignificant and pale.

  


“Wow!” Cait Sith exclaimed with the same amount of surprise.

  


Aerith seemed to sense her thoughts and hooked an arm through hers. “It’s a lot easier to grow the flowers when you’re planting into actual ground. You are only hitting plate up above. It makes a difference having that real connection with the planet. I’m sure your garden is amazing, too.”

  


Kashoku still felt inadequate. Just another tick of the box. With a little less pep in her step, she followed Aerith down the stairs and along the path that led to the house’s front door. Kashoku still couldn’t believe this place. 

  


“Mom! I’m home! I brought some friends!” Aerith called out as she opened the door.

  


“Aerith? You’re back early. I thought you all were going to the church?”

  


Kashoku followed Aerith into the house and shut the door carefully behind her. The entryway stepped right into the dining room with a small kitchen off to the side. The entire floor was illuminated by soft golden light. Kashoku wasn’t entirely sure, but at first glance, this house wasn’t powered by mako energy. She did her best to smile at Aerith’s mother who looked at her with the uncertainty anyone would give a stranger.

  


“We were, but let’s just say there were some unwanted guests hanging around the church,” Aerith answered her. “You know, the type that look all spooky in black.”

  


It took a minute to realize why Aerith avoided actually saying the word Turk out in the open. Kashoku wasn’t supposed to know who Aerith was, and the average Midgar citizen didn’t know just who the Turks were exactly. Of course, they were obviously Shinra, but just what the Turks did was privy only to those that worked at Shinra and even then typically reserved to higher ups. Well, and those that drew their attention, like Aerith. 

  


Aerith’s mother caught onto her daughter’s hint and nodded. “I see. Well, better that you came back here, then. You must be Kashoku, I take it? I’m Elmyra. Aerith has spoken quite a bit about you.”

  


Kashoku accepted her hand and shook it. “Yes, it’s really nice to meet you. This here is Cait Sith.”

  


“A pleasure to make your acquaintance!” Cait Sith held out his hand proudly and Elmyra shook it with a laugh.

  


“You as well. I was actually getting ready to start on lunch. I’ll make enough for everyone, but it’ll be a minute,” Elmyra said.

  


“That’s fine! The orphanage mural needs a touch up. We can do that while you’re cooking. I’ll go get the baskets!” Aerith shot up the stairs before anyone could get in a word otherwise, her braid flying behind her as she moved.

  


Kashoku couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s enthusiasm. “I really am sorry for intruding. I know this isn’t exactly what you had expected.”

  


Elmyra looked at her carefully, a hand on her hip. “Aerith said you work for Shinra.”

  


She was afraid Kashoku had a relation to the Turks and might be here to coerce Aerith back. Kashoku couldn’t blame her at all for that. “I’m part of Urban Development. My father is the director. I know that it was the Turks hanging around the church. I’m not sure why they were here, but Aerith was right to avoid them.” Kashoku knew that playing completely ignorant wouldn’t be convincing enough, but meeting halfway might do it.

  


“Undercity residents know to avoid the suit. It brings nothing but trouble,” Elmyra agreed, seeming satisfied with Kashoku’s answer. “Urban Development, you said? It seems to me your department has neglected this side of town.”

  


It was a shot fired, but not one Kashoku backed down from. “I know it may not mean much coming from me, but I promise that my dad is fighting for the Undercity every day in that office. The problem is, the President has to sign off on all his projects and he doesn’t seem very interested in fixing the issues in the Undercity, I’m afraid.”

  


“Well, that is hardly surprising,” Elmyra sighed, turning her back to wash her hands at the sink. “And what about you? Do you do everything you can to fight for the Undercity?”

  


“I do,” Kashoku promised. “It’s actually how I met Aerith. I don’t have much free time, but with what I do have I try and help fix things where I can down here.”

  


Drying her hands, Elmyra turned back around and smiled softly. “You’re so young, but I guess that’s how it is with Shinra, isn’t it? Did you ever feel like you had any other option?”

  


“No,” Kashoku confessed, “but for reasons not limited to my dad. I’m adopted, like Aerith. A...war refugee, I guess you could say. If I didn’t pledge allegiance to Shinra, then I was the enemy. Even still I get questioned every day. There’s plenty of people at work that think I’m some sort of spy.”

  


Sucking in a breath, Elmyra finally seemed to soften. “I see. Well, thank you for fighting for us, even if it doesn’t amount to much. And thank you for being a friend to Aerith. She doesn’t have many, and it’s been really wonderful to see her talk about someone with such enthusiasm. I like to see her smile.”

  


“I feel the same way about her, I can assure you,” Kashoku smiled. “We just...get each other.”

  


“Found them!” Aerith came bounding down the stairs with incredible speed, two flower baskets in hand. She jumped the last two steps. “You ready?”

  


“Ready!” Kashoku beamed, holding out a hand to accept a basket. 

  


“Be careful,” Elmyra warned. “You don’t know if the Turks might come into town. I don’t need them beating down my door.”

  


“Cait will look out for us, right Cait?” Aerith smiled down at Cait Sith.

  


Cait Sith nodded. “I got you, lassie!”

  


“See ya soon!” Aerith gave a wave as they headed back outside to the garden. Aerith darted up the left path towards the waterfall. “We should pick a little bit of everything, I think. Some foxtails, carnations, and lilies.”

  


“Ok,” Kashoku nodded, knowing the two types of flowers and the grass Aerith called out. While there were many types of flowers in the garden, the yellow lilies were most prominent. Just like the church. “You have a special fondness for lillies, it seems.”

  


“Mmhmm!” Aerith hummed in response as she kneeled down and started picking. “Like I said, they mean reunion. I guess, I just really like the thought of it, you know? That one day, even if we are separated from the ones we love, we’ll always meet again. In this life. In others. Always. Don’t you have a favorite flower?”

  


“Well, I’m partial to tulips,” Kashoku responded. They were the first flowers she had been able to grow, and they meant true love. 

  


“Oh, like the ones you left for me!” Aerith smiled proudly. “Tulips are a great flower.”

  


“Well, to be honest,” Kashoku plucked a handful of foxtails and paused. “I tried growing roses this year and they are flourishing. The stem is full of piercing thorns that’ll make you bleed, but if you can fight through the pain you find nothing but extreme beauty.”

  


Aerith’s mouth parted in an ‘o’ and she tilted her head. “Like your love with Genesis.”

  


Kashoku smiled stupidly. “Yeah. I guess so. Genesis did say they were his favorite.”

  


“Ahh! Can you bring me some?!” Aerith pleaded. “I want to grow them!”

  


“Sure,” Kashoku nodded. “They like a lot of sun, so I don’t know how well they’ll do, but you seem to manage getting things to grow just fine down here anyway.”

  


Aerith dropped her basket and lunged towards Kashoku with both arms, wrapping them tightly around her shoulders. It almost knocked her right over. “I’m so glad the planet brought us together. I feel less lonely these days.”

  


Dropping her own basket, Kashoku returned the embrace with a small feeling of guilt. Meeting Aerith had changed her life completely, but it had also made Kashoku feel more confused about her role in the world. She shouldn’t feel guilty, though, because despite her mixed feelings, she wouldn’t change what had happened. She didn’t want to give Aerith up. The younger woman had quickly become a little sister she wanted to cherish forever. “I hope one day we can meet each other freely. I want you to meet the sky with no fears.”

  


It was hesitant, but Aerith returned her smile. “It would be the scariest thing I’ve done, I think, but if you were by my side, I know I could do it.”

  


“If only that would be the scariest thing I’ve done!” Kashoku couldn’t help but laugh, trying to hide her tears through laughter. “Ah! Are we sure it’s safe to go to the orphanage? I’m scared to even try and go to the train station to leave later. I don’t know how long they will be here or if they’ll come back.”

  


“How about I go survey the area?” Cait Sith suggested.

  


Kashoku bit her lower lip, unsure. “I don’t know, you stand out pretty easily.”

  


“Yes, but I can also hide a lot easier and I’m the last thing they’ll expect to see down here,” he pointed out.

  


“He’ll be fine!” Aerith assured her. 

  


“Ok,” Kashoku finally relented. “But be careful.”

  


“Don’t worry about me, lassie,” Cait Sith told her before dashing towards the alley way back to the tower that served as the center of town.

  


Aerith kneeled back down and picked a few more flowers to fill her basket. “There we go! That should do it. Let’s go take these to the orphanage.”

  


For good measure, Kashoku picked a few more and then followed behind Aerith back into town. “Are all the kids in the orphanage from here in Sector 5? Or do some come from elsewhere?”

  


“They’re from all over,” Aerith answered her. “There are volunteers from other sectors that will find kids and bring them here. A lot of orphans don’t want to come. I’m not really sure why.”

  


Kashoku knew Kage would be one of those kids that refused. “Some kids have just always been an orphan and don’t know another life. The idea of something else scares them.”

  


“Hmm,” Aerith hummed thoughtfully. “I was an orphan for all of five seconds. My mother died at the train station telling Elmyra to take care of me, and that was that.”

  


Kashoku didn’t miss the similarities. “It was the same for me. A SOLDIER killed my parents, aimed a gun at me, and then there was my dad.”

  


“Fake orphans, then,” Aerith smiled back at her. “Guess we’re both really lucky.”

  


Incredibly. Kashoku would never say otherwise. Reeve had never wanted a child, and yet he still took her in and figured it out on the way. “So Elmyra knows, then? About you being an Ancient?”

  


“Mmhm,” Aerith answered. “It didn’t take long for the Turks to find me. They came to the house and told my mom how important I was to the company and that I should go with them. I refused, of course, but they still keep trying! You’re so lucky they don’t keep bothering you.”

  


Kashoku wasn’t quite so sure she’d consider it lucky. Veld keeping secrets seemed far more terrifying. There was an ultimatum she wasn’t aware of, and that was horrifying. Neither Veld or Kage ever asked her to come in. They weren’t even trying to pursue her.  _ Why?  _ Even though she asked herself that question frequently, it still haunted her. “I’m not so sure it’s lucky.”

  


Aerith paused at the fork in the path, one way leading to the orphanage and the other towards town. She spun around and cocked her head. “Are you ever afraid? That Kage might turn on you?”

  


“No,” Kashoku answered without hesitation. “I know my dad is. I think he probably worries about it everyday, but I trust Kage with my life. With my everything. I know Turks are bound to duty, but she’d find a loophole.”

  


“I’m so envious that you have such a close friendship!” Aerith whined.

  


Stepping forward, Kashoku grabbed Aerith’s free hand. “Why? You have one, too. In me.”

  


Aerith looked surprised for a moment, before she was dropping her basket and flinging her arms around Kashoku for the second time that day. “Thank you! I promise I’ll be here for you, too! Whenever, whatever!”

  


Kashoku had to wipe a happy tear from her eye when Aerith finally released her. “Thanks, Aerith. It means a lot to me to have you.”

  


“Oh, gosh!” Aerith picked her basket back up and held it tight against her chest. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve been this happy, you know? Is this what love feels like?!”

  


“Ah, sort of?” Kashoku laughed, not really sure to explain it to Aerith. “It’s a different kind of love. Hey, let’s make a deal!” She bounded out in front of Aerith towards the end of the path. “If Genesis and I make it to Solstice and I find the courage to come out completely in the open, then I’ll tell you what being in love really feels like.”

  


“Oo-ooo!” Aerith pranced up next to her excitedly. “That’s a deal, missy!” With a laugh, she took off at a jog down the final edge of the path and to the orphanage. “Hey, Ms. Folia!”

  


“Aerith!” An older woman smiled. She had dark skin and an afro bound back into a full ponytail above her head. “Nice to see you! Did you bring us more flowers?”

  


Aerith nodded. “Sure did! This is my friend Kashoku. We’re going to freshen up the mural for you.”

  


“Oh, the kids will be so excited!” Ms. Folia exclaimed. “It’s nice to meet you, Kashoku. Are you from up above?”

  


It must have been obvious from her clothing, or maybe she just gave off that vibe. “I am. It’s nice to meet you, as well.”

  


“Well, you better hurry before the kids get back from patrol. They won’t leave you alone, otherwise,” she told them. 

  


“Got it,” Aerith nodded and looked over to Kashoku. “Let’s get to work, then!”

  


Pulling out a small step-stool, Aerith got to work on replacing the flowers near the top of the mural while Kashoku worked down below. They fell into a comfortable and peaceful silence as they worked. The sector was void of the usual bustling sounds of city life and Kashoku found herself slipping away into solitude. Time had certainly passed, but it felt like nothing by the time Kashoku finished replacing the last flower. She hadn’t even realized Cait Sith had returned.

  


“There we go!” Aerith hopped down from the step-stool and smiled with an empty basket. “Right as rain!” 

  


“Much better, lassies!” Cait Sith praised. “And good news, Kage and Tseng left the sector. Coast is clear.”

  


“Oh, good! We can have some lunch without worry, then!” Aerith beamed.

  


Kashoku had completely forgotten that Elmyra was making lunch. Her stomach gave a rumble at the thought. “I could definitely use some food.”

  


“Let’s not keep Mom waiting, then!” Aerith said as she set the step-stool back in the corner she’d found it and grabbed her empty basket.

  


They returned to Aerith’s house and were greeted with an amazing aroma filling the entire downstairs of the house. Aerith took Kashoku’s basket and set them on a shelf near the stairs. Kashoku was eager to offer her help to Elmyra, but it looked like the woman had already poured four bowls of stew. 

  
Kashoku felt a little bad about telling her, “Oh, Cait Sith doesn’t eat, but thank you so much for the gesture. Not everyone treats him like he’s alive.”

  


Elmyra looked a little surprised, and more like she had a lot of questions, but she didn’t ask them. “Well, no problem. More for us, and stew keeps nicely.”

  


“I greatly appreciate the thought!” Cait Sith thanked her before hopping up into the chair Aerith pulled out for him.

  


Elmyra asked Kashoku more about her work, and she was happy to answer, but it was Aerith who talked like she worked Kashoku’s job for her. Her mother gave Kashoku a sympathetic look, but Kashoku just smiled and let Aerith go on. It was nice to hear someone speak about her work just as passionately as she or Reeve might. Being an Ancient aside, Aerith just wanted to help people. If only the President would actually approve more of her father’s projects. Things could actually be better down here. 

  


“Thank you so much for the meal and your hospitality, Ms. Gainsborough,” Kashoku thanked her, helping with the dishes. 

  


“You’re welcome anytime,” she smiled at her. “Aerith, why don’t you take Kashoku and Cait Sith back to the train station and then come right back home. You’ve had enough adventure for one day, and there are chores to be done around the house.”

  


“Yes, ma’am,” Aerith nodded. She must have finally talked herself tired, because she was silent as they headed out of the house back into town. There was a smile on her face, regardless. 

  


Realistically, Kashoku knew she could speak with Aerith at any time, but this was different. Spending time with Genesis made her happy, but this made her happy in a different way and she felt her heart already ache at the impending loss. If Kage and Tseng were working down in the Undercity, they’d have to be even more careful. Maybe she could get something out of the other woman to figure out how long they’d have to dance around each other below the plate. 

  


“See you around?” Kashoku told her as the train rolled to a stop at the station. Aerith nodded firmly. “Be careful, ok? There’s more suits lurking down here than usual.”

  


“Oh, don’t worry about me,” Aerith dismissed her concerns. “I can handle myself.”

  


Kashoku chuckled. “So I’ve seen.”

  


“Bye Cait!” Aerith knelt down and pulled him into a hug that he eagerly returned.

  


“See ya, lassie!’

  


Kashoku felt the loss of Aerith’s light the second she stepped onto the train and took a seat. “I really hate that I can’t come on here more often.”

  


“I know, lassie,” Cait Sith acknowledged, crawling into her lap. Her arms wrapped around him instinctively. “Maybe you should try a little harder to find a friend up above?”

  


“Hmph,” Kashoku snorted. “Yeah, right.”

  


“What about book club?” Cait Sith suggested.

  


She wrinkled her nose at the thought. People in the book club were nice to her - mostly - and she hadn’t had any real problems, but she figured a lot of that was just due to Lazard. Plus, “Most of them are older with families. They don’t want to hang out with me outside of the club. It’s fine, really. I just need to find something at work to bury myself into.”

  


“That’s not very healthy,” he chastised.

  


“Yeah, well, I’m a Tuesti, what can I say?” she simply shrugged. What else was there?

  


Kashoku didn’t expect the powerful pull the second she closed her eyes in her bed that night. It was so forceful she felt like she was being tugged across the universe by the planet. When the dreamworld began to materialize around her, Genesis was clinging to her desperately and breathing heavily. He’d called her to him without realizing what he was truly doing. To him, she was nothing more than his own vision of her.

  


“Genesis…,” Kashoku whispered softly, waiting for him to tell her what had happened, because something was terribly wrong.

  


Genesis was trembling around her. “We knew it was coming, but we still weren’t prepared. It still took us by surprise.”

  


Kashoku wasn’t sure at first what he was talking about, but slowly she realized it must have been an attack. An ambush, by the sounds of it. “Retaliation...for what happened when Kage was there?”

  


“Yeah,” Genesis answered, voice cracking, his arms tightening. 

  
Even though it was a dream, Kashoku really felt like she could feel him across the continents. Reaching up, she hooked her fingers around his forearm and adjusted her head so that he could bury his face into her neck. “What happened?”

  


“We were running extra patrols, enough that they could overlap and keep their routes unpredictable. It could have just been a lucky guess maybe, but I knew the patrol that was hit had been out for a while. They were led by one of the new Thirds brought here with me. Evidence points to complacency where they backtracked.”

  


Kashoku stared down at the flowers beneath her legs. “The Wutai knew where they were going to be.”

  


“They ambushed them and took their clothes. With those dumb fucking helmets on the troopers and the so many new Thirds, security didn’t think twice. They knew our passwords, too. They just walked right in and planted a bomb.”

  


Closing her eyes, Kashoku sucked in a sharp breath. Sephiroth and Angeal were ok, she knew that much, but hundreds of people must have died from the explosion alone. She didn’t even know what to say. ‘I’m sorry’ wasn’t even close to being good enough.

  


“So many of these SOLDIERs haven’t faced true chaos like this. They all froze. Everything they’d learned, all their skills as leaders, it just vanished in that moment.” Genesis’ breath hitched, and she could feel the wet tears against her skin. “For every minute we spent trying to knock sense back into them, we lost another ten soldiers.”

  


Not just an ambush, but a massacre. Just like what they had done a few weeks prior. That was war, and this was the consequence for sending children to fight. Kashoku knew exactly what it was like to succumb to her fears, even when she was capable. If trained SOLDIERs fell victim to it, how could she ever hope to overcome it herself?

  


“I couldn’t even summon Bahamut or Ifrit to help,” Genesis told her, and she could feel the guilt oozing from him.

  


“You couldn’t summon them, or they wouldn’t come?” She felt like there was a difference.

  


Genesis stiffened around her. “...I don’t know. We were in the middle of the camp. I was afraid they might do more damage than good.”

  


“It’s not your fault, Genesis,” Kashoku tried to tell him, but she knew her words would likely do little to change his mind with the events still so fresh. 

  


“But it is,” he insisted. “It’s my job as their commander to keep them safe.

Kashoku swallowed hard. If Genesis was this shaken, how must Angeal feel? Angeal took every single loss personally. “What can I do?”

  


“I wish I could feel you for real in my arms,” Genesis answered. 

  


Resting her head against his she smiled softly. “Unless there is some sort of teleportation materia, this is as good as it’s going to get. But I’ll always be waiting here for you in your dreams. Anytime you need me, just think of me, and I’ll be here. I promise.”

  


Genesis let out a low laugh. “Well, I’d hope so, considering this is my dream. Unless you’re trying to tell me you’re real.”

  


“I’m as real as you need me to be,” Kashoku told him, craning her neck to kiss his forehead.

  


They sat there in each other’s arms in silence for a good amount of time in a comfortable and relaxing silence. With each passing minute, Genesis’ hold loosened and his arms relaxed around her waist and pulled her into his lap. Kashoku watched the twinkling stars in the sky as she listened to his breathing. She wished she could see stars like this in Midgar, but there were too many lights. 

  


“Angeal is being sent home along with some Thirds that...may not come back. Take care of him, won’t you?”

  


Kashoku nodded. “Don’t worry. Kage and I will look after him.” She couldn’t tell Kage what had happened, but it probably wouldn’t take long for the news to reach Midgar. They’d both be there for Angeal when it did.

  


A loud blaring alarm suddenly filled the space.

  


Genesis let out a loud groan. “Dammit. That’s mine. Guess I gotta go.”

  


Kashoku didn’t want him to go, especially not in the state he was in. Turning in his arms, she gave him a kiss. “See ya later, then. It’ll all be ok.”

  


Hesitantly, Genesis nodded and then he was gone. Kashoku curled her knees up to her chest and continued to look up at the sky until her own alarm pulled her back into reality.


	9. Chapter 9

**July 1999, Midgar**

To say things were progressing like a complete disaster was really giving the situation too much credit. Disaster wasn’t a big enough word for how badly it was going. Horrific. Deplorable. Those were better words. Was a good chunk of the problem her? Absolutely. She had no doubt. While Genesis had thrown monsters at her, Angeal had decided on making her face virtual reality SOLDIERs and somehow, that was so much,  _ much, _ worse. However, Angeal’s overwhelming feelings of doubt and guilt were a massive distraction that made an already difficult task impossible. Kashoku had always been one that could sense emotions in people. She wondered if it was a very unfortunate side effect of being an Ancient, or if she was just an empath by nature.

Frustrated, Kashoku removed the VR headset and the Sector 8 turned battle field disappeared. “I know I’m a difficult student. Probably the worst you’ve ever had, but you’re not all here. Something’s on your mind.”

“I’m sorry,” Angeal apologized with a sigh as he removed his own headset. “Let’s try again. Something a little different, maybe?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Kashoku told him, taking the headset to the rack. Somehow, she was leaving the training feeling even worse about herself than she had coming in, and she didn’t think it was possible. It wasn’t Angeal’s fault, though, even with his mind otherwise occupied. It was all her, but she knew he was going to blame himself and that made her guilt grow.

Angeal visibly winced as he watched Kashoku make the decision to quit. “I promised Kage I would do this for you.”

Kashoku let out an annoyed huff at that and crossed her arms. “That doesn’t mean it has to be now, Angeal, and you definitely don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. You’re not ok, and that’s affecting your ability to be a good teacher. You know you can tell me anything, right?” Well, technically he couldn’t really tell her anything, but she was trying to make him feel safe in admitting something was wrong. The ambush hadn’t been made public, so she had to pretend she had no idea.

There was something else she could use to get the conversation started.

Angeal hadn’t mentioned her and Genesis since he returned. He’d been overly silent about it, in fact. Putting on her best nervous-scared look she clasped her hands behind her back and shrugged her shoulders in to make her look even smaller than she already was. “Is this...is this about me and Genesis? I’m really sorry we kept it secret, we just -,”

“What? No! No-,” Angeal looked even more worried than he had a few minutes ago. With an unsure huff, he stroked his beard and shifted his weight several times. Kashoku tilted her head, wondering if she had finally gotten him to open up, but he instead ran with the current topic. “He wasn’t just blowing smoke up my ass, was he?”

“Hmm?” Kashoku hummed, needing verification since she hadn’t heard the conversation between the two men in Wutai.

“Are you two really happy?” Angeal clarified.

With a smile, Kashoku straightened back up. “Happiest I’ve ever been. Well, ok, I was much happier when he wasn’t in Wutai, but you know.”

Angeal let out a sigh and nodded slowly. “I have to admit, this will take some time for me to get used to. I also don’t want him to treat you like a secret, anymore. You deserve better.”

“To be fair, I was the one that insisted on the secrecy,” Kashoku told him. “You and I both know Genesis isn’t one for secrets.”

“No,” Angeal agreed, but his frowned deepend. “Were you really that afraid of what I thought? I...I hate that it was because of me that the two of you have been silent for so long.”

“There were a lot of reasons,” Kashoku answered him. “Yes, you and Kage were definitely strong factors, but it was more than just that. Genesis is a First. A Commander in an army against the country I was born. I didn’t want it to come down negatively on him, you know?”

Angeal couldn't help but let out a small laugh. “If Genesis cared what people thought about him, he wouldn’t be such an asshole to the new recruits all the time. He’s no one’s favorite.”

“Two fan clubs say otherwise,” she smiled, holding up two fingers before giving his massive arm a brush with hers. “If it’s not us, then what is it?”

The small smile Angeal had shown vanished. “I...War is not always the glory that Shinra puts out there.” Kashoku waited for him to continue, but he didn’t, instead turning his back on her. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be the mentor you had hoped. Perhaps I’m not as cut out for the job as I thought.”

“Wait, what?” Kashoku tried to stop him, but he had already opened the door. She clamped her jaw shut. Was he really that far gone?

“Let him go, lassie,” Cait Sith told her. “You can’t tell him you know, and if he doesn’t want to tell you, you shouldn’t force it.”

She sighed disappointedly, knowing he was right. Aside from the events in Wutai, she felt guilty that she hadn’t helped. If only she could be better. Braver. Feeling disappointed in herself, she followed after Angeal down the hallway. “I know I’m not a warrior, and there are things I’ll never understand, but I’m always here for you. However you need.”

Angeal didn’t say anything until they had walked the full length of the hallway and stepped into the elevator. “You don’t have to be strong for me. You don’t have to be strong for anyone. You can just be you.”

It took a long moment for Kashoku to realize what he was trying to say. He was really giving up, telling her that she didn’t need to learn how to fight because he didn’t feel he could ever help her. Biting her lower lip, Kashoku pondered her response for several floors until she threw on a smile. “Well, I don’t know if you know me very well, mister, but I really hate relying on anyone but myself. So, that means I do need to be strong. For myself.”

Angeal’s mouth drew into a tight line and he said nothing as he walked off the elevator as it reached the lobby.

Letting out yet another hopeless sigh, Kashoku looked at Cait Sith who gave her an unsure shrug. Angeal barely whispered a goodbye to her, leaving her alone at the entrance to HQ. She could see him heading for SOLDIER tower the second he stepped out. Kage said she would be hard to get in touch with for a while, but Kashoku had to at least try. This was far more serious than she thought. Pulling out her PHS, she sent a text.

_ Me: Heya...I know you’re really busy, but I really need to talk to you. It won’t take long. _

Kage responded back to her while she was on the train.

_ Kage: I can come over, but it’ll be late. Really late. _

_ Me: That’s fine. I’ll wait up. _

It was past midnight when Kage showed up at her apartment. Kashoku had changed into a nightgown, but she was up. She didn’t think she could sleep anyway with how much was on her mind about Angeal. Kage was in uniform, but it looked mostly clean and void of blood. That was positive, at least. 

“You ok?” Were Kage’s first words to her as she entered.

Oh, right. Kage probably thought it was Ancient related. “I’m fine. Really. This isn’t about me. Have you spoken to Angeal since he returned from Wutai?”

Kage’s face went from worried to full out distraught. “I...yeah. Why?”

Kashoku felt like that was her line. “We spent some time together at the VR today.”

“Oh yeah?” Kage raised an eyebrow, trying to hide the look she had shown previously. “How did that go?”

“Horribly,” Kashoku answered, crossing her arms tight against her chest. “He wasn’t there mentally. Something’s wrong. He’s always been someone that loves the idea of mentoring others, but he blamed himself for my shortcomings and said he couldn’t help me.”

That look returned again. Kage’s jaw was tense as she took a seat at the kitchen island. “You got something hard?”

Kashoku reached for a bottle of whiskey and grabbed a glass. Pouring it straight, she slid the glass across the granite. 

Kage took a sip and then stared at the glass in her hand. “I actually ran into him not long after he came back. I approached him like I normally would, you know? Told him it was good to see him and that we should try and hang out soon like we usually do to catch up. With all the shit going on at work right now, seeing anyone is near impossible, but I’d make time for him.”

“But?”

“It was weird,” Kage frowned, tilting the glass slightly in her hand. “Angeal is usually so optimistic even during the downtimes, but there was none of that. He said some really weird shit about how he should have never taken Zack under his wing and that I should start looking out for him. That he had no business being a mentor to anyone.” The lightbulb went off. “Ah, shit. I asked him to be a mentor to you. Was he acting like that with you?”

Kashoku sucked in a breath and poured herself a glass, even though she hated straight anything. “Well, he didn’t mention Zack, but he definitely was feeling like a failure when it was me to blame. The Angeal I know wouldn’t give up like that.”

“I can’t imagine what would have happened that would shake his nerve like that,” Kage commented, downing the rest of her drink and sliding it over for a refill.

Kashoku obliged, and without thinking, said, “A massacre.” She hadn’t even realized what she’d said until she felt Kage’s eyes on her.

“Was that a suggestion or an answer?” Kage asked with a hard face. 

She swallowed hard and felt herself go cold. Shit. “I-I’m just saying, that losing a lot of soldiers might be a reason he’d feel that way. That’s all.” Had Kage really not heard what had happened? Even if it hadn’t been made public, how did the Turks not know? But also, shit. She wasn’t supposed to know either way.

“Fucking hell, Kashoku, what have you done now?” Kage hissed. “How many times do I have to tell you that you aren’t supposed to know this shit?! Who did you pry for information and who the hell broke operational security by telling you?”

“No one!” Kashoku answered, going into full-blown panic. “I-,” Fuck! She had to come clean. “Genesis told me what happened.”

“Genesis?! You’re telling me he literally called you up in the middle of a war in Wutai to tell you about some massacre that happened?” Kage questioned, very clearly not buying what she was selling. “Genesis is stupid in a lot of ways, but I can’t believe even he is that stupid.”

Kashoku closed her eyes, trying to figure out how to get herself out of this hole. There really wasn’t a good way. She had promised to tell Kage about any of her new abilities, just like she had her father, but this wasn’t exactly how she’d planned to tell her. Maybe, she had never planned to tell her about this particular one. It felt private. Personal. Hers. “Well, not exactly. He didn’t really realize he was telling me. Not the real me, anyways.”

“Stop beating around the bush and fucking tell me,” Kage ordered with dark eyes.

Grabbing the glass, Kashoku threw back the whiskey and didn’t even wince. That’s how bad she was fucked right now. This felt worse than being caught by Reeve for doing something she shouldn’t be. “I might sort of be able to kind of dreamwalk.”

“Elaborate,” Kage told her without missing a beat. 

“I can visit people in their dreams. Talk with them. Interact with them,” she detailed.

Kage let out a curse. “So you can just pop up in anyone’s dreams whenever you want?”

“No, it’s not like that,” Kashoku shook her head. “Finding someone...it’s difficult. It’s like walking through a crowd in the middle of the bustling city trying to find a single person in it all. And I say that while doing it at my height, too.”

“So, then how did you find Genesis?” Kage asked, still with a very heated tone.

Kashoku looked away and bit her lip. She remembered trying every night for a week to find Genesis after Aerith had shown up. It had seemed like it would be impossible until one night the millions of voices that usually found home in her mind were silenced by one. “It’s easier to find someone when they are screaming your name.”

“How long?”

“Beginning of the year,” Kashoku answered.

Kage was silent for a long moment, and Kashoku could just feel the anger radiating off of her like a heatwave. “Is this why you haven’t bugged me about seeing Aerith? Because you two have been having sleep overs in your dreams?”

Kashoku knew the question of Aerith would follow, so she wasn’t surprised, but she still felt panicked. She could risk lying and likely be caught. On the other hand, if Kage thought they were too busy meeting in dreams to risk meeting in person...It might just be the play she needed to make.  _ This is going to bite you in the ass later, but worry about right now. _ “Aerith came to me one night and...we’ve continued meeting since then.”

Technically, she had just told the complete truth.

“For fuck’s sake,” Kage hissed, downing a shot, pouring another, downing that, and pouring yet another. “Well, better in your dreams than in person. Shinra can’t catch you there. Yet. You can’t just go walking into anyone’s dream whenever you damn well please.”

“I don’t want to,” Kashoku argued, because the thought alone made her cringe, “and I told you it’s not that easy, anyway. I don’t even visit Genesis every night. It takes effort. I don’t really sleep when I do it, even though I’m technically asleep. Dreams are personal. I’d never intrude uninvited.”

“Stay out of my head,” Kage instructed. “You’re never invited.”

Kashoku held up her hands in surrender, hoping that she could avoid any further escalation and end the conversation at that. “Noted.”

“So, what happened?” Kage finally asked.

Sucking in a relieved breath, Kashoku recounted everything Genesis had told her. From the ambush, the bombing, and the panic that ensued after. To the doubts Angeal expressed during their training session and about her own worries about him. “It could have happened to anyone. I’m not sure what we can do to help him realize that without him, it could have been so much worse.”

“The only one that can help him see that is himself,” Kage told her. “It won’t matter what we say until he believes it. All we can do is just be there as friends. Not surprised that shit never made the news, though. Not a good look.”

Kashoku wasn’t sure she entirely agreed. Wasn’t it possible something they said might be what he needed to believe in himself again? Well, maybe nothing that she could say. She had zero experience with anything this serious, but Kage would know the right words. Even Zack. Kashoku wanted to think there was something. 

“You don't know what happened.” It wasn’t a question or a suggestion. It was a command laced with threat. Kashoku understood it well enough. “Genesis shouldn’t be telling you shit, dream you or not. I’m going to rip him a new one next time I see him about it.”

While Kage did have a point, “How are you going to do that without telling him he’s been talking to real me in his dreams?”

“Easy,” Kage shrugged. “I tell him I know he’s been telling you shit he isn’t supposed to and then watch him stew over trying to figure out what the hell he’s done. We both know he’s not going to even think twice about what he might or might not have said to you in a dream. He’ll only be looking to the real world.”

It really would drive him crazy, because Genesis had actually been very good staying tight-lipped about work. Better than anyone would give him credit for. “Can you at least tell him later that it was just a reminder and to stop beating himself up about something he really didn’t even do?”

“Maybe,” Kage considered, before shooting her a judgemental side-eye. “Is dream walking the only new trick you've learned?”

Kashoku nodded, “Promise. Nothing else.”

Kage hummed into her glass. “You guys have dream sex?”

_ “No!” _

“Do you want to?”

_ “NO!” _

“Are you sure? Would it feel real? Do you feel anything at all in the dream world? If you hear him screaming your name, you show up, and it’s in the middle of a wet one, would you really turn away?”

“Y-,” well, “probably not. And I don’t really know. I think I feel? To be honest, I’ve never even thought about it while I’m there. Or maybe I just think I feel. You know, like how you can get aroused by a dream even though it’s just your thoughts. Sensory memory.”

Kage raised a brow. “Hmm. Well, you keep me updated on that. Back to Angeal, though, see if your dad can give you something in the Undercity and take Angeal with you. I think the distraction would do you good.”

Kashoku’s jaw tightened. “Daddy said he won’t send me down anymore after the incident in the sewers. He’s scared about what else I might accidentally do.”

“That’s bullshit, but fine. Do something Topside. Go to a reactor,” she suggested. “Take Angeal with you, anyway. Being your bodyguard is something that’s familiar and safe for him.”

It was a solid suggestion. “Ok, I’ll see what I can come up with.”

There wasn’t much Reeve could come up with when Kashoku asked for a field assignment that kept her Topside. Anything he could find was well beneath her, but she grabbed one anyway. They had put up new lines in Sector 4 that needed integration into the system. It was something that was incredibly basic that any reactor tech could do, but it was good enough. It would get her out of the office and potentially help Angeal. Lazard still owed her that favor, and she came calling on it. The director didn’t protest, clearly worried about Angeal’s mental state himself.

Angeal, however, caught on very quickly. “This doesn’t exactly seem like something you should be doing. Isn’t this in the general job description for the techs that work down here?”

“Yes,” Kashoku agreed innocently as she took a seat at the control panel, “but isn’t it nice to get out of the office sometimes?”

“You don’t need me here,” he continued on, skipping her question. “How did you get Director Deusericus to allow this, anyway?

Placing her palms flat against the panel she swiveled the chair to look at him. “He owed me, and I always need you here, Angeal. Don’t you forget that. Plus, you know those assholes outside are just waiting for a chance to push me over the railing and say ‘oops’.” He didn’t find it as funny as she did. Sighing, she swiveled back towards the panel. “You don’t have to tell me what’s going on. Maybe you can’t, and I get that. Just know that I’m still here for you either way.”

That seemed to break Angeal’s shell just a little. “I know. Thank you, Kash, really. This distraction was very much needed. I can’t really talk about things, but that doesn’t mean I should push everyone away. How about dinner? My treat.”

“Ooohh, a famous Angeal dinner?” Kashoku asked, excited at that prospect. While she had heard a lot about Angeal’s cooking, she’d never gotten to experience it first hand other than the chocolate she’d stolen from Kage’s birthday gift. 

Angeal nodded. “You and Kage can both come. Zack, too. I promised him a meal when he beat the simulator last week. I’ll be honest, I didn’t think he would do it, otherwise I’d never have made that wager.”

Kashoku chuckled. “Zack just continues to surprise, doesn’t he? He’s going to be great. All thanks to you.” It was a purposeful statement and she gazed at him out of her peripherals to see his reaction. It wasn’t a positive one. Letting out a small sigh she put on a smile. “I think dinner is a great idea. You just let me know when, and I’ll be there.”

At first, Kashoku was super excited about the dinner. Angeal would be surrounded by good friends that could support him, and she’d be treated to a great meal. As the days went by, though, she started to worry that if he continued to find distractions, he would never face the problem head on and get past it. Kashoku would gladly corner him if she could, but she had to pretend she had no idea. She didn’t know if Zack even knew about the incident, but he’d never put his mentor on the spot. Kage...would Kage talk to him about it if the situation were right? Yes, she’d told Kashoku that no words from others would help, but would she really believe that if they were alone together? Maybe she’d been reading way too many romance novels, but everyone knew that when people were at their worst, the real emotions came out. 

Maybe this was exactly what they  _ both _ needed. 

It was sneaky, and maybe downright evil, but Kashoku started plotting. If nothing happened, then Angeal and Kage would enjoy a nice dinner and that would be that. But if something  _ did  _ happen, maybe it could open up an entire new world for the both of them. Kashoku could picture it just like in the books. 

Angeal would pretend to be strong, afraid to show weakness. He’d try and close him off to Kage completely, but the Turk would get annoyed. She’d hate that he’d just want to hide and throw away everything he’d fought so hard for in his career. She’d get angry and tell him that others needed him. Others like Kashoku and Zack. The Thirds that looked up to him. The troopers that relied on his orders and guidance. That  _ she _ needed him. They’d lock eyes and close the distance, but they’d both pause. They’d hesitate, wondering if it was a good idea, but Kage would decide she was sick of it and close the final gap. They’d kiss, clothes would come off, and then they’d fuck.

She really needed to lay off the romance novels, but damn if it wasn’t a brilliant plan.

Thing was, she’d have to cancel at the last minute. So last minute that Angeal and Kage couldn’t back out. That she could handle for herself, but Zack also needed to cancel, and that was going to be harder to pull off. Kashoku had no way to contact Zack except by work email, and this was definitely not something she wanted in any sort of writing. Turks monitored emails and she couldn’t risk prying eyes. Plus, there would be no guarantee he’d even see it. She also didn’t want to give Zack anytime to think about what was happening. It was best to catch him by surprise. 

So, one hour before they were supposed to meet, Kashoku bound through the doors of SOLDIER tower ignoring the several looks thrown her way, and headed straight for the main desk that was manned by a single bored trooper. “Sam, we have an emergency.”

Specialist Samuel White and Kashoku had become friendly enough that she would actually consider him a friend. He was the one Angeal or Genesis would call on to escort her to the train station if it was late, and he manned the CQ desk most days. With wide eyes, Sam grabbed his gun and sprung to his feet. “Emergency!? What? Where?”

Kashoku launched herself over the desk to push the barrel of the gun down. “Not  _ that _ kind of emergency!”

Relaxing, Sam put the gun down. “Oh...well, then what’s the emergency?”

“A wing-woman emergency,” Kashoku explained, sliding back down the desk to the floor. “I need you to tell me which room is Zack’s.”

“Lieutenant Fair? I, um...that’s really against protocol, not to mention a breach in privacy,” he answered nervously, very visibly uncomfortable that she’d even ask such a thing of him. 

Kashoku let out an annoyed huff, even if she understood his position. “Fine, then give me his phone number.”

“That’s also a breach in privacy and protocol,” he pointed out.

“Sam, you’re killing me here!” Kashou whined. “I’m trying to help my two best friends finally get laid!”

That seemed to spark curious interest and Jaka leaned forward so he could whisper. “Wait, you mean Commander Hewley and the Turk?!”

“Who else would I be talking about?” 

Like a turned on light, Sam’s eyes glowed. “Oh, man! The message boards are never going to believe this!”

“Sam, don’t tell me you’re part of the fan clubs, too,” she groaned. Could she never escape them? Those fans were everywhere!  _ Literally. _

“What?! CQ duty is long and boring,” he explained in his defense.

It was true, and he had Kashoku to primarily blame for his current post position which did make her feel bad. Because Angeal and Genesis trusted her with him, they’d put him here. It also helped avoid questions with her coming and going so much. Sam hadn’t made her sign the visitor’s log in months. Still, if he could make it through this, she knew he’d be first up for promotion being in good with two Firsts. Once Sam could find someone else to take over his spot that the First trusted, he’d be set for life. “Don’t you dare say anything before I can get this off!”

“Ok, ok,” he agreed. “So you’re trying to finally hook them up, huh? What’s Lieutenant Fair have to do with it?”

“We’re supposed to come over to Angeal’s tonight for dinner, but Zack and I are so conveniently going to have something come up where we can’t make it,” she explained. “That means I gotta intercept Zack and make sure neither of us show up.”

“You really think that’ll work?” He asked skeptically. “They’ve been together alone before, haven’t they? What makes this time different?”

“Ever heard of of the book genre ‘Hurt/Comfort’?” She asked. He answered with a look of confusion. “Nevermind. Just trust me. Emotions and feelings are right where we need them.” Or, well, so she hoped. “So, are you going to help or not?”

Sam crossed his arms to think about it before giving an unsure nod. “I’ll help, but I want the exclusive once they drop so I can reach the next member level on the boards.”

“I’m not bargaining something that’s not mine to bargain,” she said, shooting him down. While she was absolutely sure they’d end up on the forums one way or the other, she wasn’t going to be the reason for it. That didn’t mean that she couldn’t bargain something else, though. “What’s something from me and Genesis that could help your status?”

“Solstice exclusives,” he told her. “What you’re wearing before you go, pre and post party celebration photos, that sort of thing.”

Fine. That was easy enough, and she could completely control what she gave him. Holding out her hand she nodded, “Deal.”

Sam shook it and typed something on his computer. “Lieutenant Fair is in room 717.”

“Thank you!” She gave a happy jump and would have given him a kiss on the cheek if he’d been easier to reach. With haste, she made her way to the elevators and jammed the button for floor seven. Kashoku hardly ever ran for any reason, but she found herself bounding down the hallway to Zack’s door that she pounded on the second she arrived.

Zack opened the door in a tight-fitting shirt and a nice pair of jeans. He cleaned up nice, despite his hair still looking like he’d just given it a shake coming out of the shower. “Kashoku! Hey! What are you doing here? Oh no! Am I late?!”

“Nope,” Kashoku told him as she invited herself in and closed the door. “We actually aren’t going.”

His bright and happy face fell. “Wait, what? Why?! I’ve been looking forward to this for a week!”

“I know, and I’m sorry. I promise Angeal will cook for you soon,” she assured him, “but this is a friend emergency. Has Angeal been acting really weird lately?”

Zack’s face fell even further, and he scratched his shaggy black hair. “Well, yeah. I’ve been kind of worried about him. You see, while he was in Wutai there-,”

Kashoku slapped her hands over his mouth. “Zack, I’m a civilian. I don’t know anything about what happens in Wutai, got it?” Yes, she knew, but she didn’t want anyone to ever suspect Zack of telling her something he shouldn’t have. Once Zack nodded, she removed her hands. “I don’t need to know what happened to know something is wrong, though. He’s down in the dumps and using this dinner as a distraction.”

“What’s wrong with that? Isn’t a distraction a good thing?” Zack asked with a tilt of his head. 

“Sure, normally,” Kashoku half-agreed, “but sometimes if we don’t face something head-on, we start using distractions as a way to run away.”

Zack scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Mm, you’re right. So, then, why not an intervention?”

“Great idea! Are you going to be the one to do it?” Kashoku suggested, knowing very well what his answer would be.

He shook his head wildly. “No way! It would be too weird!”

“I agree. Kage, however, could be exactly what he needs.”

Kashoku could see the lightbulb go off in Zack’s head at that moment. “Ohhh! Because Commander Hewley likes Kage!”

Ah! Not as stupid as she thought!  _ “Exactly.” _

“Ok, I’m in!” Zack pumpd a fist. “But what do I say? The dinner is less than an hour away!”

“You are going to wait another ten minutes and send Angeal a message that you’re not feeling well and can’t make it,” Kashoku instructed him. “I am going to wait until Kage texts me asking me where the hell I am and I’ll tell her I got caught up in work and can’t make it.”

Zack hummed, thinking about her plan and working through any loopholes. “What if he wants to check on me?”

“Tell him no, because you don’t want to get him sick,” Kashoku told him. “Plus, tell him you’re going back to bed. He won’t want to disturb you while you’re sleeping.”

“Ok,” Zack agreed, liking the suggestion. “You’re not worried Kage won’t believe you?”

“Oh, she’ll smell my lie a mile away,” Kashoku winked, “but by then it’ll be too late for her to do anything about it. Why don’t we get dinner of our own? That way, we didn’t get dressed up for nothing.”

“Sure!” Zack nodded excitedly, before once again frowning. “But, what if someone says that they saw us?”

Kashoku hooked her arm around Zack’s to tug him towards the door. “Oh, don’t worry about that. No one will say a thing.” Sam was too personally invested to let that happen.

It was a risky strategy, but so far, it was going exactly according to plan.

/*/

That fucking bitch.

Kage saw right through the damn text. Zack and Kashoku so conveniently bailing on the same night? Was it possible, sure. Anything was possible. Was it likely? No way. This was a setup, and she knew it. She was already in Angeal’s apartment, though. There was no way she could just leave, especially since there was already food being made. Kashoku had known that, too, which is why she didn’t say a damn thing until Kage sent her a message. 

_ Me: You’re a cunt and I mean that wholeheartedly.  _

Kashoku sent back a selfie of her and Zack.

_ Kashy: I accept your future apology. _

_ Me: I can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped. _

_ Kashy: How do you know he doesn’t want help? Has he said that? Maybe he’s just waiting for the right person to ask the right questions. _

Angeal was already distancing himself and she had only been there fifteen minutes. There was a tight tension in the muscles of his back and he seemed to barely look at her since the news of Zack’s phantom illness. She wondered if he felt responsible for him getting ‘sick’. Now, she had to deliver the news that Kashoku wasn’t coming, either. Kage worried Angeal would just shut down completely. Maybe that was the point. Push him so far down he had to break.

“Looks like it’s just going to be the two of us,” Kage put on a smile, hoping it wouldn’t make him feel as bad. 

He looked up with surprised and worried eyes. “Is Kashoku sick, too? There must be something going around.”

Oh, there was something going around alright, but it wasn’t a sickness. “Nah, you know how she is. Caught up with work.”

“She shouldn’t work so much,” Angeal said, looking down at the stew he was stirring with disappointment. “This is a lot of food for two people.”

Kage leaned against the counter next to the stove. “Stew is great for sick people and Kashoku will probably forget to eat. We can take leftovers to them later. You’d honestly probably make Zack cry with happiness. His mentor personally delivering homemade food to him.”

There we went again, tensing up and giving a small wince. “You say that like I’m some sort of hero.”

“You are,” Kage told him, “especially to Zack. That kid adores the hell out of you. So,” she propped her chin up on her palm as she placed her elbow against the granite counter, “you want to tell me why you’re feeling so inadequate all of a sudden? You aren’t as arrogant as some people we know, but you’ve never had problems feeling confident in your own abilities.”

Kage wanted to give him the opportunity to tell her what happened himself, but Angeal completely froze. He looked like a child waiting for someone to scold him and pass some sort of judgement on him for his actions in Wutai. Or inactions, as it were, she guessed. Kage, however, was the last person who should be passing judgment on anyone in this situation. With a sigh, she straightened back up. Well, might as well just go ahead and kick him off the ledge. “I know about the bombing in Wutai.”

“Then you know why I’m no hero,” Angeal countered as he tapped off the wooden spoon and set it to the side. 

Turning around and crossing her arms and ankles, Kage looked at the floor as she decided on what she wanted to say. She had meant what she’d told Kashoku that sitting here and stroking his hair and treating him like the victim wasn’t going to get him anywhere. But maybe Kashoku was right that hearing the right thing from the right person might be what he needed to stop playing the victim. 

“I don’t know what it’s like to honor and play by the rules,” Kage started. “My entire life I’ve never played fair. There is no code to live by. It was like that as a kid in the Slums, and it’s like that now as a Turk. You do whatever it takes to get the job done and survive, consequences be damned. When you play dirty, you expect to always win. I mean, why wouldn’t you if everything is stacked on your side? Thing is, you can still lose. Even when you have all the advantages in the world, you can still lose.

“People think the Turks are an invincible force, but we fuck up a lot more than people think. I’ve fucked up a lot. The President probably has drawers full of the apology letters we have to write everytime we fail.” She let out an amused huff. “I kind of wonder if he even reads them anymore, to be honest. Point is, we all fuck up eventually, and there’s absolutely nothing that can be done to stop it. Some of my botched missions have cost innocent lives. At least with war, there is an expectation you may not return. Soldiers know what they are signing up for. These people...they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Did Kage really feel remorse for those people? Not really, to be honest. Maybe it was because she was dead to it at this point. Maybe it was because she just had a cold heart. Either way, she left that little detail out, because her feelings about it weren’t the point of the conversation.

Slowly, Angeal turned the burner off and covered the stew. His jaw tightened and softened several times as he took in her words. “Don’t you ever wonder what you could have done to stop it from happening?”

“No,” Kage confessed honestly. “What good does it do torturing yourself about something you can’t change?”

“To keep it from happening again,” he pointed out.

Kage sighed and tilted her head. “That’s for the future. You’re stuck in the past.” 

Angeal didn’t respond to that.

With a quiet huff, Kage pushed herself away from the counter and took a few steps out. “The thing about life is that no amount of training can really prepare you for it. You can have all the training in the world, but there will still be times you have no idea how to tackle. There will be situations where you thought you knew what you’d do, but in the moment, everything changes. You give your guys the tools that they need to try and prepare, but ultimately, it’s up to them what they do with it.”

The timer for the rolls went off and Kage turned back around. She could see the wheels spinning in his head as he opened the oven to take them out. He knew she was right on some level, but couldn’t get past his feeling of responsibility. There was still that look of pain on his face, and Kage realized this was so much worse than she’d thought. Angeal needed so much more than a friend right now. Sucking in a breath she lifted her chin with decision. Fuck it. Kashoku was right. He needed her, and she was going to be there for him. 

Reaching out a hand, Kage placed it gently on Angeal’s broad shoulder and tugged to turn him around. She lifted her gaze, making him look back as she gripped both of his shoulders. Angeal wasn’t like Sephiroth or even to some extent Genesis; he wasn’t the pretty sort with his stern, grumpy face, his wide jawline, widow’s peak, and sharp stare, but she found herself thinking just then how nice his eyes looked from this close. She was struck by how fucking much she liked that stupid grumpy face of his. “For as many people as you lost out there, Angeal, you saved twice that with your leadership.” 

A shuddered breath left Angeal’s lips and his eyes fluttered closed. It was the closest Kage had ever seen him come to crying. She moved her hands from his shoulders to his face and pressed up on her toes so that their foreheads could touch. “It’s ok to be sad. You can be vulnerable with me. I can give you whatever you need.” When her lips touched his, she could taste the warm salt. It wasn’t a romantic first kiss by any means, but it was the one that they needed. “Tell me what you need, Angeal.”

“You,” he breathed against her lips. They were tentative in their movements, but his large hands eventually found their way to her waist. “I need you.”

Kage shuddered beneath his words and she rubbed a gentle thumb across the stubble of his jaw. “You have me.” Tilting her chin, she kissed him again. This time, he pressed back as he pulled her waist forward.Their kisses were slow and long, somewhere between gentle and heated. Kage found herself closing off all the voices in the back of her head that wanted to tell her to stop, because she wanted this. They needed this. They deserved this.

Just as Kage slid her hands down across Angeal’s chest, he reached up and grabbed them. “W-wait. I…”

Kage’s heart thumped hard. “What? Tell me.”

Angeal rubbed his thumbs across the skin of her hands, glowing blue eyes looking down at them instead of at her. “How-,” he let out an unsure breath before finally lifting his gaze, “How do I know this isn’t just another job?”

And just like that, Kage could feel her heart breaking just a little. Slowly, her palms fell the rest of the way down his chest and dropped back to her side. He released her and she took a small step back. It was a completely valid question, and maybe that’s why it hurt even more. Already she faced that question from Reeve, and she’d continue to face it with anyone she got close to. Pressing her lips together tightly, she wondered if she should just bow out and leave out the opening he’d given her. If she should just take this as a sign that both their fears were true and they should just end it. She didn’t want to, though, dammit, and she didn’t believe he did, either. 

“Maybe in some ways it is,” she started, rubbing her arms. “I think as a Turk, everything you do is a job, whether you realize it or not. It’ll always be ingrained in me, and even unconsciously I might do things that a Turk would do. Kashoku is my best friend. My sister. And, yet, in many ways, she’s a job, too.” It was something she wouldn’t openly say to any of the other Firsts, because she knew they’d ask for an elaboration. Angeal didn’t. He simply took it for the point she was trying to make.

“How do you know, then? If it’s real?” He asked.

Kage smirked a little through the pain. “Shit, Angeal. We’ve been playing this game for years, and you want to ask me if I know it’s real? I might have more patience than Kashoku, but I still don’t hang around for years when there’s all of Gaia at my disposal if it’s not real.”

Finally, the corners of Angeal’s mouth curled upwards. “You could have anyone, it’s true. So, then it does beg the question; Why me?”

There were a million reasons why. A million things that Kage could of said. She could have given a monologue on the ways he smiled differently when smiling at her versus Genesis or Kashoku, and that she noticed. That it made her feel something nothing else in her life had made her feel. That she loved the way he was always sporting a frown even when he was happy. The way that no one in the world other than Kashoku viewed her for her and not a Turk. None of that seemed appropriate, though. Instead, she let out a low chuckle. “Damn, Genesis should be the one asking Kashoku that question.”

That earned her a full-bellied laugh from Angeal. “Point.”

Hearing that laugh had her feeling better already, even if the ugly truth still lingered. It gave her the courage to close the distance between them again. “I know I’m a Turk, Angeal. Nothing will ever change that, but don’t you trust me enough to trust my word to you?”

Angeal sucked in a sharp breath an swallowed hard. “Turks, SOLDIER. I don’t want to care about that right now. I don’t want to care about any of it.”

“Then stop caring,” Kage told him, placing a hand on his bicep. “Let it just be Angeal and Kage. Nothing more, nothing less.” If Angeal said no, she could handle it. If he wanted to walk away from this, she would, too, and they’d continue on as they always had. 

Angeal didn’t say no, and she knew the relief was written all over her face. His kiss was full of passion this time. Heated. Full. If this were anyone else, she’d be jumping up and locking her legs around them, but not with Angeal. No, this wasn’t just some fuck. This wasn’t some idiot pulled in by a honeypot, begging for a knife in the back, this was Angeal. That made all the difference in the world, she realized with a pang.

“Bedroom?” Kage suggested between kisses. If they didn’t find the mattress soon, she’d be compelled to throw him against the couch and take him right there. While the thought was tempting, it wasn’t what the situation called for and she knew she’d regret not having him properly. 

“Bedroom,” Angeal agreed, starting to move her backwards, hands finding their way beneath her black tank top. 

Kage allowed herself to be backed through the threshold, but then she grabbed Angeal’s arms and spun them around before pushing him back on the bed. Given the chance, she knew Angeal would turn the tables and make this about her when it had no business being that. He’d focus on her needs when this was about him. It was simply in his nature to care for others, but this was her taking care of his needs. 

Really, Kage wasn’t sure how to not be in control. She’d spent her entire childhood having her face beneath a man’s palm. When she had become a Turk, it was something she vowed would never happen again. Not that she ever in a million years thought Angeal would treat her that way, but, well, old habits died hard. 

As if reading her thoughts, Angeal pulled back and asked with a small smirk, “Do you ever know how not to be in charge?”

“I don’t hear you complaining,” Kage pointed out, smirking back as she pulled her tank up and over her head. She was about to reach for the button of her jeans, but then stopped a second to look at Angeal. The glowing blue of his eyes was gone, pupils blown wide, and his large hands were flexing. “Tell me, Angeal, are you a strip tease kind of guy? A rip my clothes off with your bare hands kind of guy? Or, maybe, the slow as you go kind of guy?” She had a pretty good feeling she knew which one it was, but it was only polite to ask. 

Angeal let out an amused huff. “Another day I might pick the middle option, but I find myself wanting to take this all in as much as possible for fear it might just disappear.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Kage promised him as she climbed onto the bed and straddled him. Placing her hands against his face she touched their foreheads. “I promise.”

Pausing for just a moment, Angeal slid his hands up her bare back, and then pulled her back into a heated kiss. Kage found the hem of his shirt and shoved it halfway up his chest so that she could touch his stomach. Planet, she’d never felt so much muscle in her entire life. If Genesis was even half as ripped, she could easily see the appeal personality aside. His breath shuddered as she raked her fingernails over his hard nipples and she smirked against his lips. It was mere seconds after that she felt him start to harden against her. Part of her was a tad disappointed it had taken this long, but she also knew Angeal was probably trying to be a proper gentleman. 

“Tell me what you want, Angeal,” Kage instructed, gripping his shirt and tugging it again, this time enough that he was forced to help her take it off. “Tell me what you like. What you’ve always dreamed of. I know you’ve dreamt of me, Angeal, because I’ve dreamt of you, too.”

“Have you, now? What is it you’ve dreamt of?” Angeal asked, trying to turn the tables just like she predicted.

Kage pressed a finger to his lips. “Ah, ah, ah. Let me take care of you, Angeal. I know you’re the kind of guy that probably gets off on their partner getting off, but surely there’s other things, too?” She raked her fingernails over the bulge in his pants.

With a groan Angeal fell back against the pillows and let his hips buck up. “Ah, well, maybe we could start with losing the pants. They are starting to feel a little tight.”

“They look it,” Kage agreed with amusement. All three Firsts had a tendency to wear rather form-fitting clothes. At first, Kage had wondered if it was simply their style, but then she wondered how hard it must be to find clothes that actually fit around such massive muscles. With one hand she popped open his jeans and drew down the zipper. When she laced her fingers in the waist band he lifted his hips and she gave them a forceful tug. 

Not bothering removing them all the way, she reached a hand into his boxer briefs and pulled out the biggest dick she’d ever seen. Man, she always suspected SOLDIERs had big dicks, and this did not disappoint. Kage was well practiced in what she was about to do, but even her jaw might end up sore.

“Was this part of your dreams?” Kage asked as she slid down the bed, his dick firmly in her palm, and tossed her hair over one shoulder. She hovered her lips just an inch above the tip.

Angeal was tense, doing his best not to act like a teenager and thrust himself right into the target. “It - ah - it might have been in a few.”

“Good.” Opening her mouth she started to lower and then paused, earning her a small groan. “Oh, and don’t be a gentleman, Angeal. Grab my hair.” Angeal surprisingly didn’t hesitate, gripping her black locks as she finally lowered all the way. She barely sank halfway down before he touched the back of her throat. Fuck, not even her dreams had been this good. There was already an ache in her jaw, but she welcomed it with open arms. With well over a decade’s worth of experience, Kage started to work her hand, lips, and tongue in tangem. 

Kage could see out of the corners of her eyes that Angeal was gripping the bed with far more force than the hand in her hair. He was trying so hard to show restraint. She was going to make sure he had no choice but to completely let go. Reaching out, she grabbed his hand and laced their fingers together. The fingers in her hair tightened considerably. Ah, bingo. After a few more strokes, licks, and sucks, Angeal suddenly twitched in her mouth and she tasted the salt of precum. With a raised eyebrow, she came off him with a wet pop. “You aren’t about to cum after five minutes like a horny virgin, are you?”

There was a dusting of pink on his cheeks she didn’t think was from lust alone. “Hard not to when you make me feel like a horny virgin.”

Smirking, she gave his dick a tug and leaned over him. Even though it was very clearly embarrassing for him, it was a compliment. “How’s your refractory time?”

“I’m a SOLDIER,” he said simply.

“Not an answer,” she told him with another tug that made him hiss.

Pinning his hips against the bed, Angeal answered, “It’s as quick or slow as you want it to be.”

“Great,” Kage grinned, giving the tip of his cock a kiss. Swirling her tongue across the head, smearing the precum, she sank back down. It wasn’t a personal record, because Kage had fucked guys that probably were actual virgins in her line of work, but the time it took to make Angeal cum in her mouth with a loud grunt was definitely in the top five. 

While Angeal breathed heavily, Kage wiped at her mouth. She’d always wondered if SOLDIER cum was still white after the mako showers. It was. It did, however, have a strange taste to it. Not completely unpleasant, but...metallic. Bitter. Like blood, almost. Kage swallowed it anyway. Cum, blood. She was familiar with swallowing both. “Normally, I’d want to give you a bunch of shit for that, but I’ll let it pass this time.”

Angeal let out a low chuckle and brushed a hand through his hair. “Normally, I’d be completely embarrassed for that, but what can you do? I’ve been waiting for that for years.”

Kage hummed and sat back on her heels. “Gotta ask,” she reached up her back for her bra clasp, “Were you always that big, or was that all after the mako?”

“There’s a reason they grab SOLDIERs so young. The mako showers usually coincide with puberty,” Angeal answered.

The clasp opened and she pulled the straps down her arms. “The mako, then.”

As Kage threw her bra to the side, Angeal sat up and pulled her into his lap. “I like to think I would have been well endowed aside.”

“Hmmm, makes you wonder. Would mako showers make a woman’s boobs bigger, you think? I could use another cup size or two,” she reached down and gave her bare breasts a squeeze. 

Angeal leaned in and sucked in the side of her neck. “I think your breasts are perfect just the way they are.”

“Yeah? Then why don’t you tell them that,” Kage suggested, tilting her head to lengthen her neck in invitation. 

He complied, biting and sucking his way down her neck and to her chest before grabbing one breast with his palm and sucking on the other. Kage let her eyes flutter closed with a pleasant sigh. How long had it been since someone had actually really touched her instead of just fucked her? Rude, actually, though Kage hadn’t let him do much of that despite his desire to. She hadn’t wanted it to feel real because she was afraid of real. Here, now, with Angeal - she wanted nothing more. 

Letting herself melt against his touch, Angeal kneaded one breast while he sucked on the other’s nipple. She tugged at his hair, guiding him to where she wanted him, and his hands dove beneath her jeans to cusp her ass. After both breasts had been thoroughly worked and nipples glistening with spit, she yanked his head away. He was pressing up against her croth and she could feel herself wet in her pants. “You're hard again.”

“So I am,” he agreed. 

Leaning forward, she grabbed the lobe of his ear beneath her teeth and tugged hard. “So stop fucking around.”

Angeal dove his hands between them and undid the button of her jeans. Kage fell back, her head dangling off the edge of the mattress as she raised her legs and rested them on his broad shoulders. He didn’t stop halfway like she did, pulling her jeans and panties all the way off and chucking them across the room. Spreading her legs he slotted himself in between and then caught himself on his own pants.

“Ah, maybe I should take these off,” he suggested.

Unable to hold it in, Kage laughed as she rolled onto her side and off the bed so Angeal could finish getting naked. Taking a minute to stand she reached up her hands and stretched before giving a spin. “Well? Aren’t you going to say something nice? Am I everything you dreamt?”

“Would it be too cliche to say you’re everything and more?” Angeal asked as did a few hops to clear himself of his jeans and underwear completely. 

“A bit, but it would also be totally you,” she told him with a smile. 

Angeal swiped his hands down his own body. “And me?”   
  


“Oh, come on,” Kage snorted, unimpressed, though she was very much impressed. “You’re a SOLDIER. You don’t need me to tell you that you’re the hottest thing in Gaia. It’s a real damn shame Sephiroth is so socially inept. Imagine all the damn pussy he could be getting. Or ass. You think he might swing that way?”

“I try real hard not to think about that,” Angeal pointed out as he got back on the bed. 

Kage climbed back on after him. “Oh come on, he’s one of your best friends. Aren’t you concerned he’s not sufficiently satisfied?”

Angeal pulled her down by the waist and slid his hands down the back of her thighs. “I think Sephiroth is Sephiroth and is content doing exactly what he’s doing. Right now, I’m more concerned about you being sufficiently satisfied.”

Normally, this was where Kage would tell him to shove his damn fingers up her pussy, but Angeal. This was about Angeal. “Angeal.” She hovered over him and brushed the stray strands of hair out of his face. “I’m fine being a distraction, but I’d rather be the solution. I’ve told you why I think none of this is your fault, but you haven’t said a damn thing about your own feelings. Talk to me. Please.”

Angeal’s grip on her thighs softened, and some color returned to his eyes. His gaze lowered away from hers. “It was my job to protect them. I’m their commander - their leader. It was my job to make sure something like that never happened, and yet I failed.”

“You aren’t perfect, Angeal. None of us are. It’s war. The unthinkable happens, sometimes,” she told him, kissing the corner of his mouth. “I guarantee you that none of the other SOLDIERs or troopers think any less of you. In fact, I know they are looking to you for guidance and stability in this time of crisis. 

“I’m not worthy of it,” Angeal argued.

Without even thinking, Kage gripped his jaw tightly and made him look up at her. “Bullshit. There’s no one else in Shinra’s army that cares about the troops like you. Not Sephiroth or Genesis. Just you. It’s ok to feel remorse. It’s ok to feel responsible. What isn’t ok is for you to sit here and hope for a pity party. Leaders lead, even when it looks hopeless. They are that beacon of hope - that light in the darkness when everyone thinks there is none. You are their light.”

Kage could feel the hot tears against her hand. Angeal’s lower lip trembled. “How did you find the light? How did you find the light during your darkest?”

“I didn’t,” Kage confessed, her hand relaxing against his jaw and instead caressing it. “The light found me. In my darkest moment, I beat up an asshole who had stolen another kid’s stuffed animal. Low and behold...there was Kashoku. Since then, I’ve never looked back on the darkness. I’ve only looked towards the light. Maybe it sounds stupid as fuck being a Turk, but -,”

Kage hadn’t realized she’d shed a tear of her own until Angeal wiped it away and kissed her. “I think Kashoku has become a light for many of us. It’s because of her that we all came together. I...it’s so hard to think of myself being someone else’s Kashoku.”

“But you are,” Kage quickly argued. “You are that to so many people. Don’t lose sight of that just because of one bad event. You still have so much to give.” Angeal let out a shuddered breath against her neck, doubting her words. With as big as he was, she really should have given herself some time to stretch, but there was no time for that now. She was wet enough. How could she not be with Angeal beneath her? Trailing her hand down his chest to between his legs, she grabbed his cock and positioned it between her legs. “So give it to me, Angeal. Show me everything you have to give.”

The way he looked up at her with so much lust and desire made her pussy clench in anticipation and she had to let out a breath to relax again. His right hand trailed up her thigh to settle on her waist. If he had wrapped both hands around her, they surely would have fit all the way around her. The thought made her lick her lips. Just as she started to sink, Angeal squeezed her side and told her to stop. 

Kage’s thighs burned as she hovered over him, but she did as requested. “What’s wrong?”

“We should really use a condom,” Angeal told her, turning on his side to reach for the nightstand and knocking Kage off him with the movement.

Kage grabbed his wrist the second it retracted from the drawer with the silver packet. “You really know how to ruin a moment, huh? And for a condom of all things.” Even though he had definitely ruined what would have been one hell of a romantic and emotional moment, she still found herself grinning stupidly at how thoughtful and safe he wanted to be with her. She ripped the packet from his hand and tossed it over her shoulder as she shoved him back down against the mattress and straddled him. 

“Um,” Angeal blinked in confusion.

“Do not ever,” she said as she reached down and angled his dick towards her, “ever tell Kashoku I did that.” She felt the tip press into her and circled her hips gently, holding hooded eye contact with Angeal as his dick sank further into her. Fuck, it felt just as thick as it looked. “Or else.”

“Kage-!”

“I’ve seen your health exams,” she said bluntly. Defensively. “I know you’re clean. And I definitely am. Turks get tested on an almost weekly basis and I haven’t fucked anyone since my last test. Plus, there is no better birth control in all of Gaia than the shit they make female Turks take. We give it to any woman President Shinra so much as exchanges words with, so trust me when I say it works. I’m not being stupid. I just-” She closed her mouth against the too honest words, lips pressed tight.

Angeal’s hands settled on her hips. She was right - they fit all the way around. He looked more grounded now, less like he was trying to keep his head above water and more like he was trying to support her. “What?”

“Nothing, just let me-.”

“No,” Angeal disagreed, sliding his hands back to grip her ass and keeping her from distracting him by sinking further down onto his dick. “Kage, what?”

She clenched her jaw and looked away. “...I want to feel you. I meant it when I told you to show me everything you had to give.” She wanted as much of Angeal as he’d give her. Wanted to give him whatever of her  _ he  _ wanted. 

Angeal exhaled. “Okay,” he said, then again, “Okay.”

That was all she needed to hear.

Kage sank the rest of the way down, feeling him stretch her walls to make room for himself inside her. “Fuck,” she sighed, tightening her pelvic muscles as she rose up, then relaxing them as she sank back down. “Oh, fuck. Angeal-”

She was cut off by Angeal’s hand grabbing the back of her neck and pulling her down into a bruising kiss. Placing her palms flat against his chest, the soft black hairs curling between her fingers, she anchored herself and continued to rock her hips as they kissed. It was a much different pace than she was used to, but that made her love it even more. There was no running to the end so she could get what she needed and finish the mission. This was slow and steady - taking in every touch and feeling that she could. She wanted to map every bit of Angeal to her memory, and she reckoned he was wanting to do the same.

“Beautiful,” Angeal sighed into her mouth. “Strong. Dangerous….Exciting.”

Kage stopped her hips and her lips slowly turned up into a smirk. “Oh. You like the bad girls, huh?”

He chuckled as he squeezed her ass. “No. Not particularly, but nothing has ever been typical with you, has it?”

“I take pride in my unpredictability,” Kage answered, taking that moment to give her pelvis a tight squeeze that earned her exactly the surprised grunt she’d expected. “Kind of like that.”

Angeal’s eyes looked like they were about to bug right out of his head. “Where did you-,”

“Shhh,” Kage placed a finger against his lips and then kissed him again as she continued moving again, thoroughly happy with herself. “Just enjoy it.” She couldn’t help but latch her teeth onto his Adam's apple, feeling the vibrations of his groans against her lips.

Angeal raised his legs, planting his feet against the mattress and lodging the front of his thighs up against the back of hers. The First was not a man who had smooth and clean skin the way Sephiroth and Genesis likely were being so fair. His hair was dark and thick, and it covered the majority of his body. Feeling it rub against the inside of her thighs made her drip.

Then Angeal started to rock up into her in rhythm with her, and it sent her over the moon. She didn’t think a dick could hit so deep, but Kage could feel him everywhere inside of her. Pushing herself up right with one hand she gave her head a shake so that her hair was pulled to one side and reached between her legs. Kage knew she couldn’t come straight off his dick, but it would be the closest she’d ever come. If anyone could eventually do it, it would certainly be him.

“Kage-,” Angeal breathed, the crease between his brow even heavier than usual as thick beads of sweat formed on his temple.

“Me, too,” Kage told him, understanding what he was trying to say by the movements of his body alone. A part of her wanted to prolong this moment, but her stomach was starting to tighten urging her to find release. 

Angeal kept one hand on her ass and slid the other up her arm to cup the side of her face. Kage followed his guide down and gripped the side of his neck as they kissed the hardest they had all night. Now, it was with purpose and conviction as they chased their orgasms. Angeal began fucking her with such force she couldn’t even do anything but hold on for the ride. She came before he did, and she had to bite down on his shoulder to keep herself from screaming loud enough any neighboring SOLDIERs might hear. Wrapping his large arms around her and pulling her close against his chest, Angeal thrust up a few more times and came inside her with a stifled grunt into her hair. 

Shit. Breaths coming hard, Kage wiped a hand through her sweaty hair and locked eyes with the First beneath her. Fuck.  _ Fuck. _ This had been such a bad idea. She could feel herself falling so hard and that was  _ bad.  _ When he reached up and lovingly caressed her cheek with the pad of his thumb, she could feel herself breaking completely. 

“How’s your refractory time?” Kage asked, unable to take the tenderness of the moment any longer. Angeal’s eyes went wide and she relaxed suddenly with a laugh. “I’m joking.”

Angeal’s entire body relaxed with relief and he let out a chuckle. “While I may be able to go again physically, I’m not so sure mentally I could live up to what just happened.”

Kage could relate heavily to that. Leaning down, she gave him a quick kiss before rising up off of his spent dick. She couldn’t help but clench to keep his warm cum inside. Sliding off of him, she slotted in next to him, her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest. “Feel better?”

Angeal turned his head to look at her and smiled softly. “Hard not to with you by my side. But,” he turned his gaze to the ceiling and let out a long sigh as he raised a hand to brush his fingers down Kage’s back. “I’ll always feel guilty. That will never go away. Though, maybe...I understand now that the best thing I can do is move forward and help protect those that are still under my care.”

It took a lot for him to say that, Kage knew. Even if she woke up tomorrow with regrets, she was happy that she could help him. There were a million things that Kage wanted to tell Angeal in this moment. That she meant what she said. That she didn’t care that they were a Turk and a SOLDIER. That she wanted to give this a shot. She couldn’t find the courage to say any of it.

“Let me get a cloth,” Angeal suggested as he started to sit up.

Kage stopped him. “The sheets are already dirty. Lay back down.” Was it selfish? Maybe. Did she care? Not right now.

“True, but you don’t have to be dirty, too,” Angeal pointed out.

Kage shrugged and without hesitation responded, “I like the feeling of you.”

Maybe it had been the wrong thing to say, because Angeal didn’t respond, but he didn’t object to Kage further curling up against him and settling in for the long haul. She’d have to wake up far earlier than him, but she was great at waking up to a phone on vibrate. 

Whatever the repercussions were for this moment, they’d deal with it tomorrow. 


	10. Chapter 10

**July 1999, Midgar**

  


It had been a text from Specialist White and not Kage that Kashoku woke up to indicating that her matchmaking had been a success. He’d seen Kage leaving that morning. Kashoku couldn’t resist screaming into her pillow. Maybe she should take up a side job. Kage had yet to call or text, so Kashoku initiated it as she made her morning coffee.

  


_ Me: Well? _

  


_ Kage: Well what? _

  


_ Me: Do I get that apology? _

  


_ Kage: No _

  


_ Me: Oh come on I know you guys banged _

  


_ Kage: Oh yeah? How? _

  


_ Me: Turks aren’t the only ones with spies! _

  


Kashoku’s PHS lit up with Kage’s name and an incoming call. Grinning, she answered, “I want all the details.”

  


_ “I’m in public and on the job, you get the bare minimum,” _ Kage replied. 

  


Opening the fridge, she grabbed the cream as she tucked the phone between her cheek and shoulder. “Oh! It’s important enough to call me on the job?!”

  


_ “Yeah, well, I’m on a kind of stake-out, if you will, and I can multitask,”  _ Kage told her.  _ “I’ll keep a note of the fact you have sources in SOLDIER tower. They were right, by the way.” _

  


Of course Sam was right, he was as invested in it as she was. “Uh-huh. And?”

  


There was a pause on the other end.  _ “...it was good.” _

  


“Just the sex? Or all of it?”

  


_ “All of it, but I don’t think there was ever any doubt the sex would be good,” _ Kage said.  _ “I guess you were right about at least one thing. Angeal just needed to hear the right thing from the right person. I think he’s better. Not completely there, but better.” _

  


Of course she was right, and she was right about more than one thing. She took a pleased first sip. Man, the coffee just hit real good this morning. “I’m really happy to hear that. So...like...is it official or what?”

  


_ “I mean, we didn’t really talk about it, but it feels like it, I guess? I don’t know.” _ There was definitely doubt in her voice, but there was also something else. Hope. The fact that Kage was even considering that this might be a thing was massive.

  


“Well, you’ve both established you’re able to open your mouths and talk, so talk,” Kashoku instructed her. “Nothing good comes from sitting back and wondering.”

  


Kage snorted.  _ “Big talk coming from you and Genesis.” _

  


“I’m speaking from experience,” Kashoku argued as she put the cream back in the fridge and pulled out a bowl of fruit for breakfast. “We could have been happier a lot sooner if we had talked instead of just fucking all the time.”

  


_ “Look at you being honest. I’m impressed,” _ Kage teased.  _ “But, yeah. I know. I’ll send him a message for us to talk later.” _

  


“Good. So, how do you feel about it all?”

  


Kage sighed into the receiver. “Happy. Relieved. Nervous. Everything you could possibly feel.”

  


“Exactly how you should feel, then,” Kashoku smiled, satisfied. “Well, don’t let me keep you from your all important stalking mission. We’ll talk later.”

  


_ “Yeah. See ya.” _

  


“I see your meddling was successful, lassie,” Cait Sith commented.

  


Kashoku stuck out her tongue at him as she set her PHS aside. “Yes, it was, thank you very much. I should treat myself to something nice later.”

  


“For what, exactly?!”

  


“For meddling so well!” Kashoku grinned. “Guess I have you and Daddy to thank for that. I learned from the best.”

  


“Hey! I only do as I’m instructed,” Cait Sith argued.

  


Kashoku hummed accusingly as she stabbed her fork into a bunch of berries. “So you say.”

  


“So are they official official? Like you and Genesis?” He asked.

  


“Kage has no clue,” Kashoku told him, “but I think so. I think she thinks so, too, so that really just leaves Angeal confirming it. Maybe I should check it out.”

  


Cait Sith shook his head. “Oh, no you don’t, lassie! Stay out of it!”

  


Kashoku brushed her hair over one shoulder innocently. “What!? I was just going to invite Angeal to lunch and see if maybe there was an extra pep in his step! Call it investigating, not meddling!”

  


“Call it whatever you want, lassie, you shouldn’t do it!” Cait Sith stomped a foot and his tail flicked irritably.

  


She waived a dismissive hand. “Since you do as you are instructed, how about I instruct you to mind your own business?” 

  


“How about you try doing the same!?” He fired back.

  


“Oh, whatever!” Kashoku huffed, ending the argument childishly but having no further retorts. It would be completely innocent, she promised! She just wanted to get a sense of how Angeal was feeling, that was it. Nothing more.

  


Kashoku sent an email to Angeal the second she got in the office asking if he wanted to do lunch. There was a chance he wouldn’t respond or would be busy, but a few hours later he did respond that he’d meet her for a late lunch after one. Kashoku’s stomach growled preemptively out of anger with how early she’d eaten breakfast, but she’d make do. 

  


When she met Angeal at the bottom of the stairs of the cafeteria, he did not have any kind of pep in his step. In fact, he looked as miserable as he had the other day during training. Biting the inside of her lip nervously, she tried not to react. Had something new happened? Kage did say that while he was better, he still wasn’t over Wutai. Maybe it was that? His gloomy demeanor could very well have nothing to do with Kage. No need to panic. She greeted him normally and they separated into their own food lines before rejoining again at a table.

  


“Are you feeling any better?” Kashoku asked, trying to keep the conversation as vague as she could.

  


“Well,” Angeal started, picking absently at his food, “yes about some things, no about others.”

  


So it wasn’t all bad, that was promising. Obviously, Kage must have been the good something, so it must have been the Wutai issue still bothering him. “Baby steps. Progress is progress, right? Focus on what had you taking a step in the right direction.”

  


Angeal’s mouth opened and closed several times like a fish and his gaze never met hers. At no point did he actually take a bite of his meal and Kashoku started to grow nervous. “I know that you and Kage have been friends long before she ever became a Turk, but do you ever worry that sometimes the things she does around you is for her job and not your friendship?”

  


Kashoku had to blink several times at the question, and then it processed. Oh, fuck. Shit. Angeal was having doubts about Kage. That’s what this was about. Cait Sith was right, she should have minded her own business. Clearing her throat after the initial shock, she tried not to show the panic that was happening internally. “Have you been talking to my father behind my back? No. No, I don’t ever worry about that. She’s my best friend, and nothing will change that. Including her being a Turk. If she’s doing something work related around me, then it’s out of necessity to keep me safe. It’s for no other reason than that. Why do you ask? Especially now? Isn’t it a little late to the game to be asking that?”

  


“So you never worry about it? At all?” Angeal pressed, ignoring her question.

  


“No,” Kashoku said a little more forcefully, not at all liking this, “because she’s my friend and family first and a Turk second. Angeal, what’s this about?” What had changed between last night and now? There was no way Kage could feel so positive if she hadn’t gotten the same vibe from Angeal, too.

  


“I’m sorry, I’m bringing down the mood,” Angeal quickly apologized, finally looking up at her and forcing a smile. “How has your day been?”

  


“Uh-uh,” Kashoku shook her head and crossed her arms, “you don’t get to ask me such a serious question and then change the subject.” Yes, she said she wouldn’t meddle, but this was clearly an emergency situation. Her head was spinning with ways she could try and fix this.

  


Closing his eyes, Angeal sighed in resignation. “You’re right. I just...I suppose after recent events I’m having doubts about a lot of things.”

  


“But why Kage?” Kashoku prodded. “Are you having the same doubts about me?”

  


Angeal seemed surprised at the accusation. “What? No! Of course not, but you’re also not a Turk.”

  


Kashoku’s lips drew into a tight line. “Betrayal isn’t a trait unique to Turks.” Seriously, what the fuck did Kage say that would trigger this kind of reaction? Or was this just already in Angeal’s head? “We’re all capable of it. Me, Genesis, Sephiroth. It could happen with anyone.”

  


Angeal looked like he’d been kicked while he was already as low as he could go. Sucking in a strong breath he gave a nod. “I have never really thought of it that way, but you’re right. I’m overthinking things and my doubts are unwarranted.”

  


“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about what’s really on your mind?” Kashoku pressed. It wasn’t even really about him and Kage at this point, it was about making sure her friend was ok. 

  


With a shake of his head he answered, “It’s something I have to figure out on my own.”

  


It would have been too easy for Kashoku to confess she knew what had happened and to tell Angeal to stop thinking like her father, but she found herself keeping her mouth shut. She needed to stay out of this otherwise they would never be able to work things out and move forward as a couple. “Well, ok. The offer always stands.”

  


“Until you betray me?” Angeal smirked softly.

  


“Well, then, yes, the offer would be revoked,” she agreed with a smile, though on the inside she was feeling nothing but dread. Maybe she didn’t even need to try and intervene. Hopefully, after calling his bullshit, he would rethink his thoughts and none of this would ever even come up to Kage. That was the best case scenario, and there was a far worse one than that, but she pretended to ignore the possibility for now.

  


Kashoku was absolutely worthless the rest of the day, her mind clouded by the conversation at lunch. Dammit. Why hadn’t she just listened to Cait Sith in the first place and stayed out of it? She found herself constantly checking her phone for something from Kage, but it was radio silent. That was probably good, right? No news was good news.

  


Until the silence dragged on for two full days. Fuck.

  


It took everything in her not not to call or text Kage asking for some sort of update. Kage and Angeal were both busy people and they probably just hadn’t had much time to talk things out. Right? Right. 

  


Yeah, until someone was knocking on her door close to midnight after she’d already gone to bed.

  


Turning on the light Kashoku padded her way down the hall to the door and stood on her tippy toes to look through the viewfinder. It was Kage. Kage didn’t normally bother knocking. Unlocking the door, she opened it with a frown. “Hey. Is everything ok?”

  


Kage was sporting a frown of her own as she stepped in. “Hey. Sorry, were you asleep? I know it’s late.”

  


“Not really,” Kashoku answered as she closed the door behind her. “I was in bed, but tossing and turning, mostly.” There was only one reason she’d be here late like this with no phone call or text saying she was coming over. Things with Angeal must not have worked themselves out. “You’re not covered in blood so...not work related?”

  


Kage’s jaw clenched and she looked down, her loose hair falling down around her face. She looked absolutely distraught, though she was doing her best to hide it. “Angeal didn’t answer me at all yesterday. I didn’t think too much into it, you know? We all have long days and we’re too busy or forget to respond to shit. But then I ran into him at the train station and he didn’t -,” she sucked in a shuddered breath and bit her lip hard, “he didn’t even fucking look at me.” She ran a shaky hand through her hair. “How did I read the situation so wrong?”

  


Kashoku put her hands to her mouth before reaching out to pull Kage into a tight hug. “No, Kage, no. I’m sure you didn’t read the situation wrong. It’s a huge step for you two to open up about your feelings. It’s natural to get cold feet a little.”

  


“Cold feet would be saying ‘hey’ and ignoring the particular topic, not ignoring me completely,” Kage argued, her body limp in Kashoku’s arms. 

  


Fuck, Kashoku absolutely hated this. Pulling back, she licked her lips and tilted her head down so Kage could see her. “Was...was there anything that was said the other night that might indicate any kind of doubt?”

  


Shaking her head and tucking a stray strand behind her ear, Kage sighed disappointedly. Her eyes were starting to water. “Well, yeah. The whole Turk thing came up, as it always does.”

  


“And?” Kashoku pressed softly.

  


No tears came just yet, but Kage sniffled. “He was afraid I was on some kind of job. Like Lazard asked Veld to have me get his mind straight or something after the shit in Wutai. I can’t blame him for thinking that, honestly, but I told him it wasn’t that. That my feelings were genuine. I thought he believed me, but I guess I was wrong.”

  


“Did you really talk about it, or did you kind of just brush it off?” Kashoku wondered. 

  


Kage let out a small scoff. “Ok, fine, we brushed over it. I told him that with a Turk, anything and everything could be considered a job and to not worry about it.”

  


Kashoku couldn’t hide the groan. “A practical answer, but not exactly the one he wanted or needed to hear.”

  


“What was I supposed to do, lie?” Kage asked.

  


“No, of course not, but a different approach might have been better,” Kashoku told her. “Handle it like you handled it with me. You tell the reality, but you also provide the hope.”

  


“Yeah, well, you also never had doubts I had to fight against in the first place,” Kage fired back.

  


That was true, but, “You will have to fight the Turk stigma forever, Kage. Not everyone got the chance to grow up with you. Is it really what you want? Angeal, Sephiroth, and Genesis to not fully trust you just because you don’t know how to tell them it’s ok to trust you?”

  


“If they don’t want to trust me then that’s their problem,” Kage said defensively, retreating back into her comfort zone.

  


It made Kashoku growl angrily. “Both of you have the same stupid doubts, but you both refuse to talk to each other directly about it.”

  


Kage huffed and turned her back. “They aren’t the same.”

  


“Aren’t they?” Kashoku argued angrily. “You’re both afraid that you’ll one day be put in a position where you have to betray him. Theoretically, I should have the same fear, but I don’t, because we’ve talked about it and I trust what you tell me. Can’t you give Angeal the same opportunity to trust what you say?

  


“You can’t go through life refusing to do anything that might end up in failure. You’ll just end up doing nothing. I mean, look at Dad! Ever since you became a Turk, he’s been obsessed with thinking about how it’ll go wrong instead of holding on to hope. It’s made him miserable in a lot of ways. Is that what you want? To fall in that same trap?”

  


Kage didn’t answer right away, instead starting to pace around the apartment with her arms wrapped around herself. Eventually, after a long period of silence, she turned back around with wet streaks down her cheeks. “And what if it does fail?”

  


“Well, then,” Kashoku threw her arms up, “you’ll know. You’ll both know, and you can both move on with no regrets. But isn’t it worth it? Isn’t the feeling that you had when you two were together  _ worth it _ ?”

  


“What if he doesn’t believe me? I’m a Turk...he may never believe me. Reeve doesn’t believe me and you can’t even tell him about you and Genesis.”

  


Since when had this suddenly become about her and Genesis? Another deflection. “Fine, if this is about that, then I’ll tell him! I’ll march into his office tomorrow and tell him. How about that? What’s your excuse now?”

  


Kage’s eyes went wide in surprise, like she didn’t expect Kashoku to actually throw that option out there. She would do it, dammit.  _ She would! _ Eventually, Kage had the gaul to let out a laugh and then she wiped her hands across her face. “Oh, come on. Save that bomb for when you’re really pissed at him. It’s too good a piece of ammo to not use in a proper fire fight.”

  


“Well,” Kashoku crossed her arms and smirked softly, “that is true. He’ll absolutely lose it. So does that mean you’ll actually give talking a chance?”

  


“The threat of you never leaving me alone again is enough to make me do it,” Kage told her. 

  


Kashoku threw a punch at her arm. “Oh, shut up! It’s for your own good and you know it! Now are you going to let me go to bed? You should just stay. The sheets are clean.”

  


“Yeah, actually, thanks,” Kage nodded, running her own tired hand through her hair. “Sorry for the late night barge in.”

  


“No you’re not, but that’s ok.” Kashoku headed for her bedroom door and put a hand on the frame as she looked over her shoulder. “Flake out and I’ll know!”

  


“Yeah, yeah, you and your so called spies,” Kage rolled her eyes. “Good night.”

  


“I love you, even though you’re being stupid,” Kashoku told her, closing the door with the exception of a small crack. She wanted to feel relieved after the conversation, but knew that she wouldn’t until the two actually managed to speak to each other. Yes, she felt super confident that if they both were honest and laid everything out on the table that it would be fine, but...they had to lay everything out on the table. That was the part she wasn’t sure about.

  


With a heavy sigh, she got under the covers and attempted to not think about it.

  


/*/

  


Today, Tseng was staking out Sector 6. While Kage still had doubts any anti-Shinra group would dare stick their nose in Don Corneo’s territory, they wouldn’t be doing their jobs if they didn’t check it out. It was the last sector they had to hit before starting to double back. There’d been some hits in Sectors 4 and 8. Kage still hated coming to Wall Market, even though it was the day time and void of all the usual familiar faces she despised. It still stank of alcohol, sex, and vomit. She headed to her favorite restaurant where there were people passed out on the floor and at a few tables. Some things never changed.

  


At least she got to stuff her face while Tseng did the hard work. Well, at least for one last day. The real work began after they cleared this sector of any activity. Or found it. Either way. She kind of wished they were already on that today so that she wouldn’t have to spend so much time thinking about her future conversation with Angeal. She wasn’t going to back out because she’d made a promise and because, well, she wanted this to work. That’s what made it even more terrifying. 

  


Thankfully for her, and very unthankfully for Tseng, he ended up drawing the attention of one of Don Corneo’s gangs somehow in bright fucking daylight. She came to his rescue, but not before letting them get a punch in. The gang dispersed at the sight of her, but now they’d go run their mouths. That might work in their favor. It might not. It wasn’t the first altercation Tseng had gotten in while undercover, but the others had been verbal insults and a shove. This one would leave a nice shiner. 

  


“Well, someone stupid enough to be an anti-Shinra supporter would also be dumb enough to go throwing around propoganda right in Don Corneo’s face, so at least we’re on the believability track,” Kage commented as they made it to the playground outside the gate of Sector 7. “Don’t you think it’s ironic that there is a playground right outside the most dangerous place in all of Midgar?”

  


“I suppose I never thought of it,” Tseng commented as he rubbed at his eye. “At least I gained some useful information.”

  


Kage raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? What did you find out?”

  


“Before they decided to pummel me, one of the gang members mentioned that I must ‘be part of those losers in Sector 8’,” Tseng told her.

  


“Ah, can always count on Don Corneo’s men to be complete dumbasses,” Kage grinned. “Well, you getting hit was worth it and now we know for sure where to go.”

  


“I shouldn’t show up tomorrow after today’s incident,” Tseng pointed out.

  


Kage agreed. It might spook the group that word had gotten out about them. “We’ll take tomorrow, give you time to put some ice on that. I’d say go get that cured, but that would make it look like you live Topside and we can’t have that.”

  


Tseng grunted unhappily. “I guess I should just be happy we are making quick progress, all things considered.”

  


“It’s been over a month, Tseng,” Kage pointed out with a raised eyebrow. “You call this quick progress?”

  


“For an undercover mission as expansive as this? Yes. Let’s be glad it’s moved quickly. You’ve gained weight with all the food you eat listening in on my conversations.”

  


Kage let out an exaggerated gasp and lifted the back of her suit to stick out her ass. “Wow, you think?! I’ve always had kind of a flat ass, does it look better now?” Tseng simply huffed and started walking towards the path of the train station. Kage laughed. Shit, he was right. She’d been eating good during all this shit and could lose five pounds. If she and Angeal became official, she’d really have to watch how much of his cooking she ate. 

  


Shit, Angeal. Right. There was still that. Kage didn’t want to be standing outside his apartment waiting for him or worse - just let herself in - so she pulled out her phone once she got on the train.

  


_ Me: Hey...can your little spies tell me when Angeal gets home tonight? _

  


_ Kash: Absolutely. I’m on it _

  


_ Kash: Do you know what you’re gonna say? _

  


_ Me: No fucking clue. I’ll figure it out when I get there. _

  


_ Kash: Maybe that’s for the best...don’t overthink it _

  


That was kind of where Kage was going with the thought process, too. The more she thought about it, the colder her feet got, and she’d be damned if she ran away from this now. It was an early day for Kage with the sun still up before she returned to her apartment. She took her time taking a shower and changing. There was a good two hours before she got the go ahead from Kashoku where she didn’t know what to do with herself. She’d tried working on emails, but the first one had pissed her off so much she closed the laptop. 

  


She paced the length of the train car on the ride to Sector 0, unable to stand still. Those heading to Shinra this late in the afternoon were part of the late-night crew and were too busy trying to wake up to pay her any attention. Not like it mattered if they did. One look her way and she’d make sure they’d regret it. 

  


There were hoards of people waiting to get on the train when it stopped, ready to go home for the day as the next shift came. Briefly, Kage wondered what it was like for the people that simply worked 9-5. Was the predictability boring or comforting? For a family, it was probably the latter, but she couldn’t imagine doing the same old shit every day.

  


Kage veered off from the group she’d gotten off with to head towards SOLDIER tower instead of HQ. The sun was just starting to go down and the mako reactors exploded with power in the distance, lighting up the night lights in the city. Shoving her hands in her pockets, she walked right past the check-in desk and simply tossed a “I’m here to see Commander Hewley” over her shoulder. No one yelled or came after her, so she continued on to the elevators and pressed the appropriate button. When she reached Angeal’s door, she paused.

  


Sucking in a full bodied breath, she raised a hand and knocked. She waited. And waited. And waited. The door didn’t open. Biting her lower lip she clenched her fists in her pockets. She knew Angeal was there. Was he in the bathroom? Taking a shower? Or was he avoiding her? This time, she pounded with her fists. Still no answer. Fuck. Should she walk away? Should she take the loss and just go?

  


_ No. No, don’t you fucking dare. You are not a coward. _

  


“Angeal, I know you’re in there!” She yelled against the door. There was still no answer. “Fuck it,” she hissed, reaching up into her hair and pulling out a pin. The locks were shit, so it only took her ten seconds to pop it and turn the handle. When she shoved, the door only opened an inch. That asshole was at the door. She reached up with the heel of her boot and kicked it as hard as she could. 

  


“Kage! What are you doing!?” Angeal shouted as he was launched forward, having to put a hand down to keep himself from falling to the ground.

  


Kage slammed the door shut behind her. “Hey, I knocked.”

  


“So that just gives you the right to break in? What if I wasn’t actually home?!” Angeal argued, his eyes as wide as a chocobo’s in the middle of the road.

  


“I knew you were home, which meant you were purposely ignoring me and you know what, Angeal? I don’t like to be ignored,” she told him coldly, though that emotion was only masking what she was truly feeling. If she didn’t keep the Turk facade up, she knew she’d just break down in front of him. “You’ve ignored my texts and calls, and then you pretended like I didn’t even exist at the train station. Why?” She barely kept her voice from cracking at that last word.

  


Angeal clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. “You have every right to be angry.”

  


“Yeah I fucking do,” Kage spat, though this time her voice did waver. “You woke up and had regrets, and instead of talking to me you just decided to ignore me. Do you know how bad that hurts?”

  


He sighed and rubbed his face harshly with his hands. “I know, I’m sorry, I just didn’t know what to say. I still don’t know what to say, I just-,” he let out a long sigh looking up at the ceiling as if asking Minerva to grant him the words to say. “The silence was heavy and although it was in reality short, it felt like eternity. “I didn’t wake up having regrets, Kage. That wasn’t at all the issue.”

  


“Yeah? Just that you woke up thinking I’d one day put a knife to your throat,” Kage fired back, the mask she’d put up fading quicker and quicker by the second. She was extremely practiced. No one had ever gotten to break that Turk shell when she’d put it on for work, but this was Angeal. He  _ meant _ something, and that’s why it hurt so bad.

  


“Oh, shit,” he hissed out the curse. “You talked to Kashoku.”

  


Kage’s brow furrowed. “How do you know - wait, did  _ you _ talk to Kash?”

  


“Yesterday at lunch,” he told her and then he was frowning deeply, too. “She didn’t tell you?”

  


“She failed to mention,” Kage grit her teeth together irritably. “Planet, she’s such a freaking rat sometimes! She didn’t mention you two had talked, but she sure knew how to steer the conversation the right way when we talked. Seriously, though?! You went to Kashoku instead of coming to me?”

  


“Because I needed someone to tell me my thoughts were irrational, which she did by the way, but by then the damage had been done and I had no idea how to backtrack,” Angeal confessed. 

  


Letting out a loud groan, Kage leaned back against the door and hit it with her head. “Gaia, we’re fucking idiots.”

  


“I…yes,” Angeal agreed. 

  


This was downright comical at this point and she stuck between wanting to absolutely kill both Angeal and Kashoku, and absolutely kissing them both. Rubbing the bridge of her nose she propped a foot up against the door. “Look. I don’t blame you for thinking all that shit about me being a Turk. Honestly, I don’t. It’s a thought everyone should have when they see a Turk. That’s just good survival instincts. What I do blame you for is not talking with me about it. I told you that you weren’t a job. That everything I did and said that night was real. Was my word not enough?”

  


Slowly, his eyes met hers with heavy regret and nothing but the truth. “Turks lie.”

  


“Yeah,” she agreed, because there was no denying that fact, “but have I ever lied to you?”

  


“No,” he told her, keeping her gaze.

  


“So then why would I start now?” She asked. “Look, I can’t promise I’ll never lie to you, because I will probably have to, but I can tell you that it would only be to keep you safe. When Kashoku tries to get in too deep I don’t lie, but tell her I can’t say. Sometimes the less you know the better. Shit, I actually have more clearance to tell you stuff than I do her! Isn’t that enough?” Her heart thumped painfully, fearing his answer. 

  


“Yes,” Angeal breathed shakily. 

  


Kage felt her heart in her ears, and she wasn’t sure if she actually heard what he said.

  


“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “ It’s just...I’ve never been so scared of anything in my life. You absolutely terrify me, Kage. Emotionally and physically.”

  


Maybe it was the totally wrong reaction, but she couldn’t help but let out a muffled laugh even though her eyes were watering. “Well I hope so.”

  


Angeal laughed, too, and she instantly felt better. “Can we...start over?”

  


“No,” Kage told him without hesitation, his face falling at the response. “Starting over implies we forget about what happened, but we can’t do that, Angeal. We have to remember that this happened, so that we know everything is real.”

  


He looked surprised, not expecting her to have said that, but he nodded firmly in understanding. “So...then...I can call you mine?”

  


Kage’s eyes got so wet she wasn’t sure she could hold back the tears any longer, and she didn’t care. She pushed herself off the wall and smiled. “Only if you kiss me, you fucking asshole.”

  


She was half hoping he’d shove her back up against the wall, but he didn’t, because that wasn’t Angeal. Instead, he cupped her face in his hands firmly and kissed her. It wasn’t hard, but it was firm and reassuring. A promise that he was there, and that this time, he’d be staying there. 

  


“Maybe next time you can be a little nicer to my door and not kick it in,” Angeal said with a smirk, as he pulled away, though he stayed close. 

  


“Fuck you, I’ll break in whenever I please,” Kage told him, matching his smirk. 

  


Angeal’s eyebrows shot up. “Even if you have a key?”

  


Planet, her heart leapt out of her chest and she felt like melting right into his arms, but she somehow kept her composure and gave a shrug. “Depends how I feel that day.”

  


Angeal laughed. “I wouldn’t expect any less. I better never make you angry.”

  


“Really piss me off and kicking in doors will be the least of your worries,” she warned, though with a playful smile. Angeal could break her heart in the worst way, and she knew she wouldn’t do a damn thing about it, but he couldn’t know that. “Well, Commander Hewley, you made me chase after you and break into your damn apartment. The least you can do is feed me.”

  


“I’m inclined to agree,” he dipped his head in acknowledgement and made for the kitchen. Already, Kage missed the warmth of him standing next to her. “Help yourself to liquor and pour me one of whatever you’re having.”

  


Kage almost reached for the whiskey but went for the bourbon instead. Around Angeal, she felt the need to be a little more classy than her usual self. Door kicking aside. She guessed he just brought out the best in her in a lot of ways. She opened two cabinet doors before she found the glasses and opened the bottle. That’s when it all hit her and she paused. This was happening. This was really happening. They’d talked it out. They’d practically slapped labels on it. Angeal was hers and she was his. Fuck. Suddenly, she felt hot as fuck as she gave her shirt a quick flap before pouring the drinks. 

  
Clearing her throat as she slid his drink across the counter towards where he was already working on pulling out pots and pans. “Since we’re being open and honest about shit right now, I just wanna say Zack wasn’t sick and Kashoku wasn’t working.”

  


Angeal paused briefly in what he was doing and blinked several times before letting out a long groan dropping his shoulders. “How many times am I going to be duped by you two? First you manipulating files to assign me to Kash and now Kash pulling the set up of the century. Not once, but twice.”

  


“Think of it as practice. If we can get you this good imagine how good your enemies can -,” she gasped and her eyes went wide as she realized what she’d just said. _ “Shit, _ Angeal, I’m sorry-”

  


“Don’t be,” Angeal quickly replied, holding up a hand. He looked solem, but not as bad as he had the other night. “You simply said what is true. Sephiroth has always told me from day one that I’m too trusting, and he’s right.”

  


“It’s fine to trust,” Kage shook her head in objection, not wanting him to backtrack from the progress he had made, “but isn’t there that army saying? Trust, but verify? You gotta start doing a little more verifying.”

  


Sucking in a breath through his nostrils, Angeal nodded. “Yes. I agree. Maybe you could give me some good pointers?” He flashed her a tender and hopeful look. 

  


It was so hard for her not to look away under the weight of it, so unused to being looked at like that. “Well, I can’t give away all my Turk secrets, but I might be able to give a class or two.”

  


Angeal huffed and smiled again. She’d never get tired of seeing him smile. “I regret bringing Zack the leftover stew yesterday.”

  


“Oh, come on, don’t blame him,” she told him, leaning back against the counter forcing herself to relax. “You know no one can say no to Kashoku, especially when she’s on a mission like that.”

  


“Boy, do I know it,” he said with a small laugh. “She’s a lot more dangerous than she looks.”

  


“I’d never tell her this, but she’d actually make a pretty good Turk with how good she is at getting her way,” Kage told him. “The fact that she just got one over on me proves it. 

  


He snorted. “That, and the fact no one would ever suspect her of being one.”

  


“That too,” she agreed. 

  


They spent a minute in a comfortable silence, Kage drinking while Angeal worked. The only sound was that of him preparing the food. The overwhelming feelings were starting to settle. Kage tooked a good look around the apartment. How soon before she called this home as much as her own apartment? Would they spend more time here or at her place? Maybe it would be equal. Maybe it would be pretty impossible to see each other at all. It would likely be the latter, but it was nice to think about for a moment. Even if it was late, Kashoku had always gone home to Genesis when he was around. Kage didn’t quite have that luxury, but...she’d try.

  


Oh, speaking of Kashoku always being over at SOLDIER tower, “FYI, Kashoku has spies up in this place, so be careful of what you do and say.”

  


“Spies?!” Angeal breathed in disbelief. “So she  _ is _ a secret Turk!”

  


Kage couldn’t help it. She let out a full bellied laugh and almost spilled her drink in the process. The mental image of Kashoku in a black suit was just too much for her to handle. But then, it became too real. Veld could have done exactly that. He could have taken Kashoku from Reeve after Wutai and raised her as his own. Groomed her to be the perfect Turk. An Ancient that was a Turk. The power that Veld would have with that under his thumb. It made her wonder why he hadn’t done it. 

  


“Kage?” Angeal asked in concern. “I lost you.”

  


Shaking her head she put her glass to her lips. “Sorry. It was funny until for a moment I thought about if it really happened. She’s been coerced by Shinra enough.”

  


“You’re suggesting she was forced to work there?” Angeal questioned curiously and with concern.

  


“No,” Kage answered. “Reeve is a lot to blame for that, but I’m saying that he probably would have had a much easier time convincing her to stay away if there weren’t other forces at play.”

  


“Am I allowed to ask?” Angeal questioned uncertainty.

  


Kage gave a shrug. “There’s always been a weird thing between Reeve and Director Veld. They go way way back and it’s beyond even my understanding. Some stupid powerplay or something else. I don’t know.” It wasn’t the whole truth, but it wasn’t a lie, either. Perfectly inbetween.

  


“Well, I can honestly wish that she didn’t work at Shinra either, but then I don’t think any of us would be where we are today,” he told her. “Poor Sephiroth,” he chuckled, “he really is the third wheel, now. We should try and find him someone.”

  


Kage snorted. “I think Sephiroth is perfectly fine with the way things are. He’s  _ been _ the third wheel, and it’s never bothered him much. 

  


“You don’t think he’s ever lonely?” Angeal asked, true concern written across his face. He was a good friend.

  


“Honestly, I don’t think Sephiroth thinks of things quite like that,” Kage told him. “I don’t think he equates happiness or loneliness with a lover. He’s happy for the companionship he has. I just think it’s important that even though the four of us have found love in each other, we don’t exclude him.”

  


“I don’t think Kashoku would let that happen, though I think it would be an easy excuse for Genesis to want to cut him out,” Angeal told her.

  


“Nah,” Kage shook her head, “Genesis doesn’t know how to be Genesis without Sephiroth. He’s gotta have that something to try and beat, you know? Resents him, but absolutely needs him. Besides, for all we know, he’s mellowed out about that whole rivalry thing.”

  


Angeal flashed her a glare and scoffed. “In what world? If dating Kashoku has really gotten Genesis to back down from his inferiority complex, then I’d give everything I own.”

  


“Oh, that sounds like a bet!” Kage exclaimed excitedly. “I’ll take it.” Angeal looked horrified at her quick acceptance. “What?! As long as we are together, what’s mine is yours, and what’s yours is mine, so what does it matter if you win or lose? Just don’t piss me off, like you said.”

  


“This feels like a trap,” Angeal said, holding up the knife he’d been using. 

  


“Why? You’re the one that brought it up!” She pointed out. “I just capitalized on it.”

  


With a sigh, he accepted defeat. “Fine, you’re right. I accept the terms and conditions.”

  


Kage flashed him a toothy grin. Genesis would never lose the inferiority complex completely, but Angeal also didn’t know that she’d already had this very conversation with the Commander. She’d stood in the bar and told him that he couldn’t have Kashoku until he got over that shit. The fact they were even together was proof enough that if Kashoku told him to heel, he’d heel like an obedient dog. He’d hate it, and probably bitch about it later, but he’d still do it. 

  


Damn, they were acting like a fucking married couple already. Kage loved it. She didn’t need - or want - the kind of relationship Kashoku and Genesis had that was driven by sex. She got enough of that bullshit with work. What she wanted was to have a real connection, and she had it with Angeal. What did she do to deserve this? Did she deserve this? Maybe not, but...she was going to take it while she could. 

  


They continued to make small talk while Angeal cooked an incredible meal. Man, if she had this to look forward to on the daily, she was really going to get fat comments from Tseng. Unfortunately, she lacked the extreme metabolism mako baths gave a person. Despite Angeal’s protests, she took care of the dishes afterwards. It was only fair, especially knowing she’d never be the one to cook. 

  


“You know...you could stay,” Angeal told her softly as she finished drying the last of the pans. 

  


Kage considered it heavily. “I have to wake up early. I’m kind of on a long on-going local mission right now. I’d have to wake up even earlier because I don’t have a suit laying around here. Should probably fix that.”

  


“You can leave as early as you like, I don’t mind,” Angeal countered. “And,” he blushed softly and cleared his throat, “you can wear one of my shirts to bed.”

  


“Well damn,” she smiled, giving a shrug, “why didn’t you just lead with that?”

  


Kage was perfectly average height for a woman, but Angeal was massive, so his shirt more than did the trick. Kashoku was usually the one that stole clothes, but she was feeling a strong desire to never return this shirt. Placing their phones on chargers on either side of the bed, they crawled beneath the covers together and Kage slotted herself against him. 

  


Angeal wrapped an arm around her and let out a heavy sigh. “You know...for all that I feel better after everything that’s happened, there’s still something weighing so heavily on me.”

  


“What?” Kage asked, resting a gentle hand on his chest.

  


“I’ve completely failed to help Kashoku with her training,” Angeal told her. 

  


Ah. That. Kage shifted her head against him and thought for a moment. “You had a lot going on when you tried to to teach her last time. Kash is a perfectionist that gets frustrated easily and then you probably fed off that and just fell deeper into the hell hole your mind was already in. At the end of the day, you’re a great mentor. You’ve proved that with Zack. You know what you need to do, you just need to think it through and try a different approach. You can’t work with Kash the same way you do the other SOLDIERs.”

  


Angeal hummed thoughtfully, fingers rubbing Kage’s bare arm gently. “Maybe...Hm. I think I might have an idea.”

  


“Yeah?” Kage asked curiously.

  


“If it works out, I’ll tell you all about it,” Angeal smiled at her. 

  


Kage laughed and accepted it. “Fair enough.”

  


“I guess I’ll see you when I see you, then?”

  


“Yeah, you know, if you don’t pretend you don’t know I exist next time,” Kage said, giving his side a poke.

  


Angeal grunted. “Believe it or not, there may be times when that might actually be the best course of action.”

  


Kage chuckled. “Yeah, yeah. Sweet dreams, Angeal.”

  


“Sweet dreams, Kage.”

  


Normally, it took Kage a good hour or so to settle her thoughts enough to sleep, but she found herself slipping away almost immediately. 

  


/*/

  


Kage hadn’t said anything to her, but Kashoku knew. She knew because she had her spies, remember? And she also knew because why else would Angeal suddenly send her an email asking her to meet him for VR training after how horribly things ended last time? Kashoku was still hesitant to agree after how disastrous last time was, but she agreed for both Kage and Angeal’s sake more than her own. 

  


She really needed to treat herself for this. Kashoku, matchmaker extraordinaire, saving the day one relationship at a time. Screw Cait Sith, successful meddling should be on her resume. 

  


Kashoku showed up precisely on time and was shocked when she saw Zack’s smiling face approaching her. “Zack?”

  


“Heya!” Zack waived. “You ready to get to training?!”

  


Tilting her head and looked around Zack towards Angeal. “What’s Zack doing here?” Not that she didn’t like Zack, quite the opposite. She loved Zack, she just didn’t understand what was happening. 

  


“I’m trying a new approach,” he told her, as he walked right past her making her jog to catch up. “I know that I haven’t done much to earn it lately, but you do trust me, right?”

  


“You don’t have to ask that,” Kashoku told him, “of course I do.”

  


“Good,” Angeal turned around as they approached their assigned VR room. “Zack will be your mentor.”

  


Kashoku blinked in surprise and turned her gaze back to Zack who looked so happy he might actually explode from it. She wasn’t really sure what to think about it. Not that she didn’t think Zack was capable - of course he was, he was a SOLDIER! - but was Angeal doing this because he didn’t think she was worth his time anymore?  _ No, don’t be stupid, there has to be another good reason. If that were the case he’d toss you off to someone that wasn’t Zack.  _ “Ok, I’ll bite.”

  


“Yes!” Zack clapped his hands together in excitement. “I can’t believe I get a trainee as a Third!”

  


She couldn’t help the small snort that she let out. “I’m not sure I count as a real trainee.” Looking up at Angeal she asked, “Is this for him or me?”

  


“Both,” he smiled at her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder and giving it a pat before entering the room. 

  


“So Angeal says you are a natural with materia, huh?” Zack didn’t even give her time to answer before he continued on, “I like materia, too! It really can give you an upper hand in a fight. Not to say melee combat isn’t a good skill to have or anything, but it’s a lot harder to defend against a fireball being hurled at you than a sword, you know?!”

  


“I don’t know, I’d say they are both pretty impossible to defend in my case,” Kashoku told him as she took a headset from Angeal. 

  


“Don’t you worry, by the end of today, you’ll be a pro!”

  


Kashoku almost believed it with how much enthusiasm Zack put behind his words. Angeal stood off to the side, ready to just be an observer, and she and Zack slid on their headsets. Their surroundings turned into the Undercity. Some kind of industrial setting. A flying creature appeared in the sky. Kashoku jumped, but it stayed exactly where it was beating its wings. “It’s flying Zack! I can’t even manage monsters on the ground and you want me to handle one that flies?!”

  


“I know, I know, but bare with me!” He told her. “Flying monsters are actually where materia users can excel! Where others can’t reach, you can! You’re still just trying to get comfortable casting, right?”

  


Kashoku nodded. “I’m not really good yet at doing things on command. Everything is kind of...fear based.”

  


“The drake won’t attack until you initiate, so I want you to concentrate on making the first move,” Zack told her. “It’s weak against wind attacks, so use aero.”

  


Sucking in a deep breath, Kashoku nodded. Ok. Right. It won’t attack until she does. She could manage this. Kashoku hadn’t done much with her wind materia, having focused more on ice. Wind. Ok. Placing her hands out in front of her, she wondered what to even do with them. A soft wind blew against her. She hadn’t even tapped into the magic yet. Blinking, she looked over to Zack, whose hair was as still as the night.  _ Are you trying to be helpful? _ She asked the Planet.  _ Maybe show me what to do, then.  _ There was another gust, this time more forceful. Kashoku took that for the sarcastic remark it likely was.  _ Yeah, yeah, ok.  _ Zack didn’t say anything about the wind if he saw it, likely thinking she was still trying to figure out the materia, which wasn’t entirely false. Licking her lips, she brought her hands close to her chest, palms facing each other. Imagining a ball of wind, she stared at the space between her hands. The ball of wind began to form.

  


“There you go!” Zack praised. “Just remember, once you let that thing rip, he’s coming for you!”

  


Right, be ready. Adjusting her stance she planted her feet into the ground and tossed the ball a foot into the air before she crossed her arms and then gave the magic a powerful push towards the drake in the sky. The drake gave a cry as it hit and fell halfway to the ground before it was able to give its wings a flap and recover. Just as Zack said, it screamed angrily and came straight for her. Kashoku’s heart thumped but she side-stepped the attack with a gasp instead of throwing up her arms and cowering.  _ Hey, point for me!  _ The drake shot back up to the sky and she raised her hands to prepare another attack. This time, however, the drake wasn’t standing still and kept darting around before she could get the aero attack off.

  


“Gotta be quick!” Zack shouted at her.

  


Kashoku growled after a solid minute of the monster playing with her. Clenching her fists in front of her she shouted “Dammit, come here!” Her fists flung down by her side as if she was pulling ropes towards her and there was a loud sonic boom. Suddenly, the drake was being dragged towards her even though it’s wings beat frantically in the opposite direction. It came so fast all Kashoku could do was let her eyes go wide and hold up her hands as she shouted “Freeze!”

  


Ice crystals flew from her outstretched palms and the drake froze inches in front of her in an encasing of ice before it shattered and the drake disappeared completely.

  


Kashoku blinked hard. “Did I...did I get it?”

  


“Whoa! How did you do that?!” Zack exclaimed, eyes wide and glistening with delight.

  


“Ah? Do what?” Kashoku asked, still in disbelief the drake was gone. 

  


“That aero move! I’ve never seen it be reversed liked that to pull the enemy towards you,” he explained. “Man, can you teach me?!”

  


Kashoku laughed nervously, hands going to her mouth. “I don’t even - I don’t know how - holy shit. I did it!”

  


“Yeah you did! High five!” Zack held up his hand.

  


Finally letting herself smile, Kashoku hopped up so she could meet his hand with hers. “You’re a great teacher, Zack.”

  


“No way, that was all you! I just told you that you could do it!” He told her. “Let’s go again, but this time, let’s throw two at you.”

  


“Two?!” Kashoku exclaimed. “I barely handled one!”

  


“You did great! You tackle two just like you tackled one. Same strategy, it’s just this time you’ve gotta keep one eye on each. The more comfortable you can get with casting, the quicker you can get spells off.”

  


Kashoku didn’t go the rest of the training session without landing on her ass and a few scraped knees, but she didn’t try to run or hide once. Not with Zack cheering her on on the sidelines. There was just something about him. Something that made her want to stand and fight even when she was completely terrified. There was a point where she felt the flare of the materia against her chest and she’d reached up to wrap her hand around the pendant.  _ No, no! Not now! Thanks for the concern but I think...I think I can do this.  _ Yeah, it would have been bad if Angeal and Zack knew she had a summon, but also, she really started to believe she could do it without help. By the end of three hours, she had managed to take out a group of three drakes at once. It didn’t seem like much to a SOLDIER, but to her, it was everything.

  


With an exhausted sigh, she collapsed as she pulled the headset over her head and the dull grey room replaced the Undercity. “I don’t think I’ll be able to walk tomorrow! I’m so tired and sore!”   
  


“You did so great! Didn’t she do great Angeal?” Zack gave a double thumbs up.

  


Angeal chuckled and held out a hand to help Kashoku up. “Amazing.”

  


Kashoku accepted it and brushed off her pants with a sigh. “I guess you knew exactly what you were doing after all, huh? What made you think of this idea?”

  


“You, actually,” he answered. “You and your meddling.”

  


Her eyes first went wide and then slowly she gave him a big smirk. “Ohhhh! So do I get a thank you? Kage only called me mean things when I’m trying to help.”

  


“Absolutely not. I’m quite angry with you,” Angeal told her with crossed arms.

  


“Uh-huh, so this is your angry face?” Kashoku raised a suspecting eyebrow. 

  


“Kage and I don’t need you meddling, Kashoku,” he told her firmly.

  


Kashoku hummed as she placed her headset on the rack, “So you’d rather I stayed out of it and let the two of you go on and on and on playing Moogle-Moogle-Chocobo until one of you maybe finally caught up with the other?”

  


“Oh! Did your plan work?” Zack piped in, finally clueing in on the conversation. 

  


“And you!” Angeal jabbed a finger at him making him flinch back behind Kashoku of all things. “I can’t believe you got involved! I’m your mentor!”

  


“She made me!” Zack fully slid in-behind Kashoku and pointed a finger at her. 

  


“I plead guilty,” Kashoku said proudly, trying so hard to hold in the laugh that a big bad SOLDIER was hiding behind her. 

  


Angeal let out a sigh. “Zack, go check us out of the room.”

  


“On it!” Zack shot for the door and was gone before Kashoku could even blink.

  


Once Zack was out of earshot, Angeal stood up tall so that he seemed almost twice Kashoku’s height and looked down at her. “I’d really prefer it if neither of you would go pulling strings and doing shady things behind my back. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. You girls keep getting one over me and I don’t like it. With that being said...thank you. I hate that it required you to do all that, but we needed it...well, I needed it.”

  


“Well, to be fair, while I was the one that orchestrated the initial meeting, you were the one that caused all the drama by talking to me behind Kage’s back,” Kashoku pointed out.

  


“Yes, and she didn’t let that go unheard,” Angeal assured her. “I’ll be far more careful about what I say to you in the future.”

  


Kashoku grinned. “See that you do. Though, now that we’re all out in the open, I’m sure I’ll have to be careful about what I say to Genesis so he doesn’t go running off to tattle to you. He’s got a big mouth, too, you know.”

  


“I do. Big mouths attract big mouths, it seems,” Angeal smirked.

  


Kashoku gasped and clasped her hands together. “Angeal! Are you finally admitting that Genesis and I are perfect for each other?”

  


Angeal grabbed her arm and started walking out the room, “Don’t you dare put words in my mouth!”

  


When they stepped outside, Kage was waiting for them. She pushed off the streetlight she’d been leaning against and smiled at them. “So? How’d it go?”

  


Kashoku proudly held out her arms to show the darkening bruises. “Kicked down, but never out! Not too bad for a Topside girl, huh? Even got some cool battle wounds.”

  


“How the hell do you get bruises from VR?!” Kage asked as she looked down at her arms. 

  


“Oh, you totally can! In fact-,” Zack started before Angeal held up a hand to hush him. 

  


“Kashoku did really well. Huge progress,” Angeal told her. 

  


Kage smiled up at Angeal fondly. Kashoku looked back and forth between them, basking in the loving energy she got from them. “Guess your plan worked, then, huh? Surprised, but also not surprised, that it involved Zack. Don’t you want a potion or a cure materia for that shit?”

  


“Nope,” Kashoku told her proudly. “Badges of honor and glory!”

  


Kage snorted. “See if you’re still saying that when you wake up in the morning.”

  


“Oh, I’ll be fine. Why don’t we tell you all about it over some dinner?” Kashoku suggested. “I’m starving! No wonder you guys eat so much after training all day!”

  


Kage tilted her head towards Angeal. “I’m in. You?”

  


“Hard to tell two beautiful ladies no,” he answered.

  


Kashoku peered around Angeal. “Zack? Wanna come?”

  


“Me?” Zack blinked in confusion, pointed towards himself.

  


Kashoku laughed. “Is there someone else named Zack around here?”

  


“Oh, wow! Thanks! I’d love to! I, er-,” his face fell suddenly and he looked to Angeal. “That is…if it’s ok with you?”

  


Angeal let out a sigh and smiled. “Come on, Puppy.”

  


“Yes!” Zack pumped his fist in the air excitedly.

  


They fell in step to head towards the train station, and Kashoku didn’t fail to notice the arms that wrapped around the waists. With a smirk, she leaned against Kage and looked up at her.

  


“You’re still a cunt,” Kage told her.

  


Laughing, Kashoku wrapped her arms around Kage and pressed against them, knocking Angeal into Zack and making them one big family.


End file.
